Bring On the Brand New Renaissance
by starsxhearts23
Summary: Yara Ghanbari is a successful writer/columnist living in New York City. By chance, she meets Colby Lopez, better known as Seth Rollins of the WWE, at a charity event. Everybody is convinced they are polar opposites, but do they have more in common than everyone thinks?
1. Prologue

_Hi all,_

 _Here is the prologue to my new Seth Rollins story! Like my other stories, it's going to take place outside of kayfabe (wrestlers will be referred to by their real names as much as possible). I own no wrestlers but I do own my original characters, especially my OFC of this story._

 _I'm going to try and make this story a little bit different from what I've usually written - I'm going to try a different writing style heavy on dialogue and perhaps even make some characters unlikeable, or that you're unsure if you like them/able to relate to them. I'm not promising anything...I'm going to try, at least!_

 _If you're like me and you like to visualize what the OFCs look like, my "face claim" for Yara Ghanbari is Nazanin Boniadi_ _. If you Google her, I'm specifically talking about a portrait picture from "Homeland" where she is wearing steel blue hijab. Yara does not wear a hijab or turban; I just liked this particular picture of Nazanin._

 _I hope you all enjoy! Please leave a review, follow/favourite, and subscribe!_

XXXXXXXXXX

"Are you kidding me? I'm going to be on display like a piece of meat?"

Stephanie McMahon did not appreciate the tone of Colby Lopez, the disdain for the information she just relayed to him clearly evident in his voice.

"Maybe you'll finally realize what women have been going through for thousands of years," she quipped back, to which he rolled his eyes. "You know as a top WWE Superstar you're going to be needed for charity appearances. You'll be helping our philanthropic efforts, not to mention Connor's Cure."

"I'm… I'm injured," he said.

Stephanie scoffed. "I don't see how you can be so against traveling to New York City on the company's dime," she said.

"Maybe if you'd given me a bit more notice."

It was Stephanie's turn to roll her eyes. For a grown man, Colby could be like a moody teenager. She blamed it on all the music he listened to. "The event is at the Brookfield Ballroom at 8pm, Friday night. You'll be there representing the WWE, who will be auctioning off a Fan Experience at the WWE Performance Centre – proceeds are going to Connor's Cure," she explained to him curtly, her words final. "Any questions?"

"Do I really have to wear a suit?"

XXXXXXXXXX

"You're coming with me to the sports banquet Friday night, right? Don't you want to bag an athlete?"

Yara Ghanbari rolled her eyes at her best friend and colleague Laura Higgins, who always saying things just to get a rise out of her, especially in the past few months. Yara swivelled in her office chair to face Laura, who was smirking. "Aren't you the one who nabbed that Yankees player last year? Whatever happened to him?" she asked.

"Oh, he was no fun," Laura waved off Yara's comment. "Come on, you have to come. So many athletes and sports professionals in one room? You're bound to get a good scoop on something for your column."

Yara hated when Laura was right. If she didn't go to the event, she'd miss out on some important insider exclusives that would get her another bonus, raise, or cubicle away from Laura (seriously, she loved her, but they needed to be separated at work). Yara mused for a few moments. "What does one even wear to one of these things?" she asked in jest. Going to these types of events was part of her job.

Laura clapped excitedly. "Black and busty. No man can deny that."


	2. The Luxury

_Just an FYI that every chapter is named after a song by the Canadian band The Tragically Hip. If you haven't given them a listen, please do – start with Three Pistols._

XXXXXXXXXX

Colby Lopez hated stuffy people in stuffy suits speaking with their stuffy accents about their stuffy colleagues. But, for the sake of his job, he knew he had to put up with them, just for the night. When he signed up for the WWE, he didn't think part of his job would include attending New York City charity events on behalf of the company, but there _was_ a clause in the contract that said "and any other duties as assigned." He figured this was one of those duties.

The whole night was made worse by the fact that none of his other colleagues had been invited; the invitation only specified one person to go on behalf of the company, and Stephanie McMahon had chosen him. He didn't see why he would be the first person to pop into her mind. Kids hated him, so by extension their parents probably did too, and he wasn't the most sociable person with people he didn't know. He knew how to work a room, but only if that room was full of people he knew, or at least with people he knew had the same interests as him. This wasn't one of those cases.

He didn't know what to expect when he walked into the "Brookfield Ballroom" other than they he knew it would be full of people. He was greeted immediately with a server offering him a hors d'oeuvres to eat. He passed on the food, making a beeline to the ladies who were giving people their table numbers.

"Your name, sir?" the overly perky girl asked.

"Colby Lopez."

He waited patiently as she found his name. "Colby Lopez, Seth Rollins?" she asked, confused at the two names that were on the sheet in front of her.

He was surprised his kayfabe name was listed. He thought he'd only have to use his legal name at the event, but apparently he was wrong. He guessed "Colby Lopez" didn't have the same appeal to bidders as "Seth Rollins" did. "That's me," Colby smiled. "You can say I have a dual personality."

The girl apparently didn't get the joke. "You're at table fourteen," she informed him, her perky voice back. "Would you like someone to guide you to your table?"

"I think I'll be okay," he said, walking away. He was unimpressed already with everything around him. He wondered how much more unimpressed he'd become when he actually entered into the hall and endured the bidding process.

XXXXXXXXXX

"What are you digging for tonight?" Laura asked Yara as she sipped on her champagne. "Who bids the most? Who didn't bid at all?"

"Whatever I can get," Yara mused, taking a sip from her own champagne flute, not nearly as done as Laura's. "James doesn't give me any assignments. He knows I'll just stumble upon information that'll lead us to gold."

"Well how nice for you," Laura mocked jokingly. "Some of us actually have to work to get any dirt."

Yara looked around the room to see the usual – a lot of New York socialites, hedge fund managers, bank executives, hot-shot lawyers, moneyed members of families who sat and did nothing all day – the typical New York City set. These were the people spending money that night, to raise funds for various charities that were being spotlighted, most of them children's charities. It was Yara's job to report on what happened that evening. It was Yara's job to get any juicy details out of the professionals in attendance. The manager of the New York Giants was in attendance – was their assistant coach really getting demoted? Richard Clarke, the infamous hedge fund manager, and his new trophy wife were also in attendance – did his acrimonious divorce really set him back $50 million dollars, a $25 million dollar townhouse in the Upper East Side, and $60,000 a month in alimony? What about Abigail Westland, of the moneyed Westland family from Connecticut – had she really begun working for the governor so she could start her career in politics?

"Are we sitting together?" Laura asked, snapping Yara from her thoughts. Yara watched as Laura downed the last of her champagne. As a waiter passed she placed the empty flute on his tray.

"I don't think so. I'm table fourteen, you're 21 – and odd is always on the opposite side of the room," Yara said. Laura let out a moan. "You know James always requests this, so we can get more information from both sides of the room. You should be used to it by now."

"I am. I just think it's stupid that I can't sit next to my co-worker," Laura said. "Everybody knows we work for the New York Social. It's not some big secret."

Yara smiled. "I'm so honoured you want to sit next to me, but knowing my luck I'll probably be seated next to Tom Wright. God knows how boring he is, but I flirt and by the end of the night he lets things slip."

XXXXXXXXXX

Colby had introduced himself to the few men and women who were sitting at the same table as he was, but he had already forgotten their names. He was so bad at this. Knowing him he'd end up calling them by the wrong name sometime tonight. Either that or he'd pull a Seinfeld… _"Oh…YOU!"_ At least he was getting fed.

When the music died down and the MC announced that the dinner was about to begin, the attendees scrambled to get to their seats. A few more people arrived at his table, and he greeted them and introduced himself cordially before sitting down. There was still an empty seat to his right. He wondered if he looked _that_ out of place that not even anyone at his table wanted to move a chair over to sit next to him.

"Well don't you look like a fish out of water," he heard a female voice say from behind him. He turned to his right to see a woman standing in a demure black dress; her dark hair curled and pinned down on one side. She took a seat next to him, already smiling.

"Is it that obvious?" he asked, his voice low enough so others at the table wouldn't hear.

"Not really, I've just been around these things so much that I can tell." The woman took her napkin and unfolded it, placing it on her lap. "What media outlet are you from?"

"Oh, I'm not media," Colby said quickly.

"I'm sorry, then what organization?"

"I'm from the WWE. I'm here as a representative for one of the auction prizes," he informed her.

"The WWE?"

"You know, World Wrestling Entertainment."

A light bulb went off in the woman's head. "Ah, right! Vince and Stephanie McMahon!"

"That's them."

"So you work in head office?" she asked.

"Oh God no," Colby shook his head. "I'm uh, I'm one of the wrestlers…performers…whatever. I'm a wrestler."

"Oh! What's your name?"

Colby paused for a moment, unsure of how to answer. "Do you…do you want my wrestling name or my real name?" He felt stupid for asking, but he felt like it was a legitimate question, seeing as he had just named the company he worked for. Maybe she had a niece or nephew that watched wrestling, and she wanted to see if he was the one they hated so she could brag to them later.

The woman smirked. "Well what do you want me to call you?"

"Colby. Colby Lopez."

"I'm Yara Ghanbari," she extended her hand to shake his. "It's really nice to meet you, Colby."

"Likewise."

"And thanks for keeping the seat next to Tom Wright open," she nodded her head slightly to the man that was sitting to her right, who was speaking with a woman who had approached the table.

Tom Wright. He had introduced himself to Tom Wright five minutes ago, and it was one of the names he forgot. "I'm surprised you remembered his name. I didn't."

"Don't feel bad, not a lot of people do."

"Do you know a lot of people here?" he asked.

"I know _everybody_ here," she said, looking out onto the rest of the tables. "I don't mean for that to sound weird. It's my job to know everybody here."

"So you'll be able to save my ass when I forget everyone's name," Colby smiled, taking a sip of his water.

Yara couldn't help but laugh. "Exactly. I'll be your sidekick for the night, Mr. Colby Lopez from the WWE."

XXXXXXXXXX

Colby couldn't keep up with everything Yara was telling him. They had talked throughout the first course of dinner, but she was going a mile a minute. Despite him not knowing nor truly understanding how or why exactly she knew everybody in the room, Yara intrigued him like no other. He had definitely taken a liking to her. She was warm, charming, and knew how to get information out of people, as he had witnessed during a specific conversation she'd had with Tom Wright. He had to admit, he was even a little intimidated by her, and many people didn't intimidate him.

Now, they were at the bar together, waiting for some drinks. She had dragged him along, hoping to run in to someone, even though they didn't. Yara had her eye out for people around them, pointing out everyone she knew to Colby.

"Mmkay, you see that man in the navy suit, with the black lapels?" Yara pointed out from the bar where she and Colby were standing, waiting for their drinks. Colby nodded his head. "Will Tupper. He's one of the biggest hedge fund managers at JP Morgan Chase. And you see that woman with the blonde bob?" Colby nodded his head again. "Allanah Graham. She's on the board for Conde Nast, the publication that prints Vogue. And that guy, the one with the bowtie who shouldn't be wearing a bowtie? Ultimate douche. His name is Alex McCaul. Don't even go near him. No word of a lie, he does nothing with his life. Yet he thinks he's the master of the universe because his dad is a powerful attorney with a lot of money and influence in New York. I cry sometimes because he's so stupid."

Colby couldn't help but laugh at Yara's last comment, but he was so taken aback by her knowledge of everyone in the room. He could barely keep up with the names she was spewing off. She was like a walking encyclopaedia for people in New York City. "How do you know all this?" Colby asked incredulously.

"I told you, it's my job to know everyone," she said plainly. "A lot of these people hold a lot of powerful positions within New York, or they come from moneyed families and all that jazz. They're the people that run this city. People want to talk about them, and read about them, so I provide them with that outlet."

"You write about these people for your magazine?" Colby asked.

Yara nodded her head. "Well, I mean…I write about what happens on the New York City social scene for my magazine. These people just happen to play a major role in it," she explained. "It's not the most ideal job, but it pays the bills for living in New York. And I mean…I'm good at it. I at least have to admit that. I'm very good at my job."

Colby didn't think he'd ever met anyone with a position like Yara's. She was like a celebrity gossip columnist, except only for New York City. It was weird to him. He understood a lot of powerful people settled in New York, but why would she want to write about them? "So what's going to be released tomorrow then, about tonight?" Colby asked.

Yara shrugged her shoulders. "Not much right now. My boss wants the numbers tonight, since it's an auction, so he's going to want to know who paid for what and how much. That's when I'll really need to be attentive."

"What about me, you're not going to include me?" he asked, smiling at her as they finally got their drinks. If he wasn't going to be able to keep up with her, he would at least tease her light-heartedly. Maybe even flirt. It was the only thing he could think of doing.

Yara smirked, bringing the straw of her gin and tonic up to her lips. "No. I never write about people I actually like," she said, taking a sip of the alcohol. "Let's go back to the table. I need to get some more information out of Tom Wright."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Oh naw naw naw naw," Colby muttered to himself, his Mid-West accent out in full force. "Please for the love of God no."

"What's going on?" Yara whispered, the auctioneer's voice booming throughout the room. "That woman bid $5000 for your charity!"

"That _woman_ is a creep," Colby hissed. "She spends buttloads of money for herself and her adult son to attend all these special backstage opportunities and then she flirts with the wrestlers while her son pretends to actually _be_ one of the wrestlers," he explained. "It's awful."

"How many times have you seen her?" Yara asked.

"Like three times alone this year," Colby said. "Oh God, someone outbid her, please, please, pleeeease."

Yara took a look at the woman who had a smug look on her face. Yara didn't recognize her at all – she hadn't seen her at any other charity events, which meant she was probably just a one-off. She looked back at Colby, who was clearly trying to avoid eye-contact with the woman. She knew any sport could have the creepy super-fans. Clearly this woman and her son were some of them. $5000 was a lot of money, and Yara knew James gave her a budget.

"Five thousand dollars to Apex Corp, do I see someone for 5100 – 5100 for New York Social Magazine, do I see someone for 52 – 5200 for Apex Corp! Do I see someone for – 5500 for New York Social magazine!"

"Yara, what are you doing?" Colby asked, realizing what was going on once his head was out of his hands.

"Just sit back and relax, I've got ten grand to spend," Yara said calmly.

"Yara -"

"Just shut it Colby, unless you want me to stop outbidding her."

Colby shut his mouth.

When all was said and done Yara had spent $8000 for the Exclusive WWE Experience at the Performance Centre, benefitting Connor's Cure. She received a polite applause from the attendees for her perseverance and determination in out-bidding the other bidder. The auction had stopped momentarily, but would continue in 15 minutes. Colby couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. Yara had dropped some serious cash on a prize that had to do with a company she knew nothing about, was not a fan of, and probably would never become a fan of. It was crazy to him. Absolute insanity. He didn't know why she would do such a thing. Yet – he was still intrigued by her actions. _Why_ would she do something so crazy, something in such haste?

"So are these WWE Experiences fun or what? What do I get to do?" Yara asked, smiling at Colby after she had gone to the side of the stage to collect her prize, nestled in a manila envelope.

"I can't believe you'd do that for someone you just met two hours ago," he said, ignoring her question. "Why did you do that?"

"Because I could," she shrugged her shoulders. "Besides, you really didn't want that other lady to win."

"Yara -"

"Let's just say you owe me," she smirked at him. "Maybe you should be the one to lead me on the tour."

Colby was taken aback by Yara's actions and words. He didn't know what to make of her, almost bidding $10,000 for a WWE Experience, telling him he should be the one to lead the tour. For the first time in a long time, he was practically rendered speechless. "I don't believe you."

"Not a lot of people do."

"No, I mean I really don't believe you."

Yara chuckled. "You'll get used to me. When you get to know me you'll find out a lot of things, as most people do."

That peaked his interest. Truth be told, he'd jump at the opportunity to get to know more about her. He was in New York until tomorrow afternoon, and it would be a pretty lonely existence until he had to go to the airport. He'd probably hit up a gym, do some CrossFit, but other than that he was completely alone.

Before he could say another word, he saw, from behind Yara, a woman making a beeline to their table. Luckily for him, it wasn't the superfan. She looked to be about Yara's age, with long, straight, dirty blonde hair and a red low-cut dress.

She placed a hand on Yara's shoulder to get her attention. Yara turned around the second she felt the hand on her shoulder. "Are you fucking nuts?" the woman asked her.

"I was given $10,000 to spend!" Yara justified herself.

"On a freaking WWE Experience?"

"It's benefitting Connor's Cure, Laura," Yara said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "It's going towards a _good cause_."

"A WWE Experience," Laura repeated. "Have you gone insane? You've gone insane."

Yara smiled devilishly. Colby could tell she was a woman who always had something up her sleeve. "Laura, have you met Colby Lopez?" she gestured to Colby. Laura shook his hand politely and managed out a _'Pleasure to meet you'_ through a tight-lipped smile. "Laura, how about you go mingle with Anita Diaz," Yara offered.

"Anita Diaz?"

"She just bid $15,000 for a NASCAR weekend for her sons – try to see if she's bringing her step-sons too or if their mother is still bitter about the custody arrangement."

Laura sighed audibly. "The things I do for you," she said, before walking away.

Yara turned back to Colby to see a bemused yet slightly horrified look on his face. "Was that your boss?" he asked.

"Oh God no. That's my best friend."

"She seems pretty angry with you."

"She's always pretty angry with me."

"She is right, though," Colby mused, smirking. "You _are_ crazy."

Yara shrugged her shoulders, a wry smile on her face. "Crazy enough to leave this party early. Wanna get out of here?"

Colby smiled like the Cheshire cat. "I thought you'd never ask."


	3. Another Midnight

Yara and Colby had escaped the Brookfield Ballroom quietly, without Laura seeing them, and began walking the streets of New York. The Brookfield Ballroom, located on Park Avenue in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, was in the middle of everything the Upper East Side had to offer. There was so much to do, so much to see – she wondered if Colby had ever tried the ice cream sundaes at CO/NE; if he'd ever had midnight pancakes at Lydia's Diner; if he ever had 2a.m Ping-Pong battles at Andy's Ping Pong Hall.

"I feel like I'm playing hooky from school," Colby smiled as they walked along the sidewalk. He took one last look at the Brookfield Ballroom behind him before looking to Yara. "You're sure it's okay for me to leave this early?" he asked.

"Well one, it's not early, it's past 11:30, and two, your auction's already gone – you don't need to sell yourself to anyone in that room anymore," she said.

"What about you?"

"I leave whenever I want. I have enough information for a column tomorrow, which is all that matters," she explained.

"So what's the scoop then?" Colby asked.

"Do you really want to know?" she asked. He was so confused and dumbfounded by her job earlier, so she wondered if he was really curious, or if he was just asking to continue a conversation. When he nodded his head, she shrugged her shoulders. "Well, Tom Wright told me that Richard Clarke – he's a big hedge fund manager here in New York – his new trophy wife is demanding that she get an 'allowance' of $60,000 a month, the same amount of alimony he's paying his ex-wife, because the trophy wants to lead a better, more luxurious lifestyle than the ex-wife," she said. "And then, when we were at the bar, I overheard the people next to us, and Will Tupper's wife is pregnant with their fifth child, which is why she wasn't drinking tonight."

Colby waited for a moment after Yara had finished. "And people will read this," he said as more of a statement of the absurd than a question.

"Yes!" Yara wished he would get it through his head. "I'm telling you, it sells magazines. Have you ever heard of Edith Wharton?"

"Who?"

"Edith Wharton."

"Is she another woman that was there tonight?"

"No, Edith Wharton was an author in the early 1900s. She wrote House of Mirth and The Age of Innocence, which won the Pulitzer Prize. She wrote about high society in New York City, since she was a member. The saying 'keeping up with the Joneses' was about her father's family," Yara explained.

"Okay…" Colby was unsure of where Yara was going with this.

"I kind of like to think that my job is like that. I talk about New York society. I write about the families that Edith Wharton would have written about, or, you know, interacted with. In some cases, the people I write about are the descendants of the families from that era," Yara said.

Colby considered what Yara was telling him, and came to the conclusion that, in her own way, she was right. If Edith Wharton wrote novels about the upper classes of New York, then Yara was doing the same thing, except her 'stories' were actually true. "Okay…I get it. Kind of like Gossip Girl" he said, looking over to her.

"…Kind of." Here she was name dropping Edith Wharton when all she had to do was mention Gossip Girl.

"I'm sorry if I'm being…whatever…it's just that you don't really meet many people who have your job," he tried to half-explain, half-apologize.

"Oh I know – you don't need to apologize," she waved him off. "Sometimes when you live in the New York City bubble you forget, but yeah…it's a thing here," she laughed for a moment. "I don't know…reading about the upper class…it intrigues people."

" _You_ intrigue me, though," Colby admitted, smiling at Yara when he saw her blush slightly as his words. "I mean…I just met you tonight, and look at us. We're already wandering the streets together. Not many people are like that. Not a lot would be this nice."

Yara bit her bottom lip. "How long are you here for?"

"I have to be at LaGuardia tomorrow at 5 in the evening."

"Okay, good," she smiled. "I work tomorrow, so I can't exactly meet up with you tomorrow, so I'm taking you on a proper night out in New York…well…the Upper East Side," she smiled. "I'm talking ice cream, late night pizza, maybe even some ping pong… are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

XXXXXXXXXX

There wasn't a single lull in Colby and Yara's conversation as they wandered through the Upper East Side. They had moved on from Yara's job, thankfully, and began to talk about Colby's. He gave her a crash course of what he did, explained to her how he rose to the position he was in with the company, and spoke about Vince and Stephanie. She knew the last name from around town – "the promoters working out of Madison Square Garden" – so Colby didn't have to explain much. She also knew of Stephanie from various events Stephanie had attended.

With each passing comment, or comeback, or turn in conversation, Colby grew to like Yara more and more. He couldn't explain it. She was so unlike him in many, many ways, yet at the same time they were very alike. Their senses of humour meshed together well. He knew when she was being sarcastic and she called him out on being a smartass. Their personalities just clicked; Colby had to admit he was extremely happy they did.

Their wanders through the Upper East Side led Colby to discover too many things in New York that he found intriguing. He and Yara had walked by a 'midnight gourmet steak' restaurant, and he wanted to go in until Yara said she had better things in store. What was better than gourmet steak? He found out only a few minutes later, when they had walked into a small, nicely decorated ice cream parlour called CO/NE. She ordered one scoop of cookie dough ice cream on a waffle cone with sprinkles; Colby ordered three scoops on a chocolate-dipped-with-M&Ms waffle cone.

When the man behind the counter gave them their order, Yara gave Colby an amused look. "You can eat."

Colby shrugged his shoulders. "I'm an athlete."

"Exactly," Yara said as they walked out of the store. "Aren't you worried? I bet there's a decent pair of abs underneath that suit."

"There are," Colby said quickly, taking a monster bite out of the top scoop of ice cream. Yara wondered how he didn't get a brain freeze. "But when I workout, I work myself to the bone so I can eat whatever I want. That's my deal with myself – eat shit but burn it off later. My nickname is CrossFit Jesus."

Yara snorted once she heard the nickname. "Seriously? CrossFit Jesus? That's one I've never heard before."

"That's because you haven't met CrossFit Jesus until tonight."

"If I had to name myself after my workouts I'd be Spin Class Sally," she mused, licking her ice cream. "Either that or Yara the Yogi."

Colby cackled at her attempt to nickname herself. "I like Yara the Yogi – makes you sound like Yogi Bear."

"Does that mean you're Boo Boo?"

Colby stopped dead in his tracks on the sidewalk, staring down Yara who began giggling like a schoolgirl. The longer he looked at her, the harder she laughed. "Don't even _think_ about it," he warned.

"Oh, come on."

"I'll knock your ice cream over."

"You wouldn't _dare_."

He stepped his foot down hard, making it appear he was going to advance towards her. Yara let out a yelp and extended her arm holding her ice cream away from her, father away from Colby. Colby smiled proudly, his attempt to scare her working. Yara continued to giggle once she saw it was a false alarm. "You're evil," she said.

"You don't know the half of it, darling."

XXXXXXXXXX

It was 3:30am when their cheese pizza, hot wings, and vanilla milkshakes were handed to them from Nino's Pizzeria, the small, 24-hour stall Yara frequented day and night. Yara, holding the pizza box, guided Colby to the iconic steps of the Met. Just as she thought, at this time of night, the steps were virtually empty. During the day it was hard to find a spot, but with the tourists all asleep, she knew it would be clear. Save for a few people that had the same idea as her, she and Colby would be alone.

"I thought we might eat here," she said, smiling at Colby behind her, holding the chicken wings and the two milkshakes. "You good with that?"

"Perfect."

They climbed to the first tier of steps, setting the pizza, wings, and milkshakes between them. When Yara opened the box, the scent of the pizza immediately made Colby drool at the mouth. Yara had promised him that this was the best pizza in New York City – by the smell of it, she was right. He hoped it tasted as good as it smelled and looked.

"You do the honours," Yara said, motioning to Colby to take the first slice of pizza. As he picked one apart, the cheese stretched – he grabbed it all with his fingers, popping it into his mouth. He took a giant bite of pizza, the cheese stretching again. Yara watched as he chewed, waiting for the reaction she knew she'd get.

"Mother of God," he mumbled, his mouth still full with pizza. "This is fucking fantastic."

Yara smiled proudly. "What'd I tell you?" she asked, taking her own slice of pizza. "Best pizza you've ever had?" she asked.

"It's up there," Colby nodded. "Gonna have to eat more."

"Naturally."

"Probably won't top my local pizzeria in Davenport," he admitted, much to the chagrin of Yara.

"Davenport? You're from Iowa?"

"Born and bred."

Yara smiled. "Can I tell you something?" Colby looked at her, expecting the worst. "I'm not really from New York City. I'm from Vancouver."

Colby's eyebrows rose. "You're not even a native New Yorker?" Yara shook her head. "You're _Canadian_?" She nodded her head. "Coulda had me fooled."

"If it's any consolation I've lived here for like, ten years. So I mean, I basically _am_ a New Yorker," she smirked.

"Sure, but you're never gonna get the Canadian out of you," Colby teased. "You'll crash into a parking metre and say 'sorry' to it. I can see it now." Yara giggled at Colby's comment, playing on the Canadian stereotype. Colby put the crust of his pizza back into the box, shaking off the crumbs on his hands before grabbing another slice. "What made you move to New York?" he asked before taking another huge bite out of his new pizza slice.

"A job, obviously."

"This job?"

"No. I came upon this about five years ago. Before then I was a waitress at a high-end restaurant," Yara revealed.

"You moved to New York for a waitressing job? You couldn't be a waitress in Vancouver?" he asked.

"Nope."

Colby found it odd she would move across the continent for a job that could be done in any city, but he decided not to pursue asking her more about it. Obviously there was more to the story, but seeing as he had only met her a mere seven hours ago, he didn't think it would be appropriate to try and delve deeper. "That's cool," he said, wondering where he should steer the conversation next. "Is this job you have now how you met Laura?"

Yara nodded her head. "Yup. My desk was right next to hers on my first day – still is, actually. She'd only been there about six months before me but she took me under her wing and helped me out. She became my best friend in a very short period of time."

"Really? She's your best friend?"

"Why are you so surprised?"

"Well, I don't know…tonight, she just seemed to be wound pretty tight. You don't strike me as the type."

"Yeah, I agree, but I can be wound pretty tight too," Yara admitted. "You just make me feel comfortable, like I can use my sense of humour. I can't do that with lot of people in New York. And when we're not at work, I can do that with her."

Colby smiled at the _'You make me feel comfortable'_ comment. He was glad he wasn't the only one feeling that way. He was having a very, _very_ good night. "It's good that you have someone like her, then," he said.

"Yeah, she's fantastic," Yara nodded her head. "I couldn't have done a lot of this without her."

Colby thought this opportunity was as good as it was going to get. He wanted to do it earlier – when they got their ice cream, maybe – but something was always off. It just wasn't the right time. "So uh, listen," he began awkwardly, mentally hitting himself. "For that WWE Experience thing, you're going to need to travel to Orlando -"

"I know -"

"And I don't know if you've ever been down to Orlando -"

"I haven't -"

"You haven't? Well then, you'll need a friendly face, you know? A friendly face to show you around. Because trust me, you don't want to get lost in Orlando -"

He saw the smirk on Yara's face, the sparkle in her eyes. "Is this just an elaborate plot to get my number, Colby Lopez?" she asked boldly.

Colby couldn't help but blush as she called him out. "Maybe."

"You could have just asked," she admitted quietly, setting her pizza down and pulling her phone out of her purse. They exchanged numbers quickly, with Yara taking a picture of Colby in his suit, holding a slice of pizza, so it would show up whenever he called.

"There we go," Yara said, locking her phone as she put it back in her purse. She looked at Colby, who was staring at his phone screen where Yara had just put in her number. It was as if he couldn't believe he had it, that he needed to stare at it for longer than ten seconds to confirm to himself that he'd gotten her number. "Now I won't get lost in Orlando," she said louder than normal, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Uh, yeah…right."

XXXXXXXXXX

Colby had demolished most of the pizza himself, then more than half the wings, each one better than the last. Despite their goodness, he knew he'd pay for it with heartburn in a few hours, and an extra-difficult CrossFit session. The general theme of the night continued – no lulls in the conversation, everything flowing smoothly, much to his delight. Yara had watched him as he scarfed down the pizza like she was watching an animal documentary on the Discovery Channel. In such a refined, multiple forks and knives type of world like the Upper East Side, his eating habits either reminded her quite literally of an animal, or were a breath of fresh air. He assumed it was a breath of fresh air for her, seeing as she didn't up and leave him on the steps of the Met.

It was 4:45 when Colby and Yara stood outside her building, an old townhouse converted into four different flats, hers being on the top floor. Colby expected Yara to live in a building like this, or at least something similar. If she wrote about the people who inhabited the Upper East Side, she needed to live in the Upper East Side herself.

"Jesus, I didn't realize how late it was," Colby said as he looked at his phone. He didn't feel it at all. He was wide awake and didn't feel any sort of fatigue.

"Time flies when you're having fun, eh?" Yara smiled.

"Eh?" Colby repeated. "Canadian eh? From Vancover, eh?" he mimicked her, cocking his head from side to side comedically.

"Shut up," she laughed, pushing at his stomach. "At least I didn't say sorry to a parking metre."

"That would have been something."

"I'm sure it'll happen next time," she said.

Colby smiled at her words. _'Next time'_. He loved that she said that. There'd be a next time. She confirmed it. "Thanks for showing me around New York tonight," he said earnestly.

"You are most welcome."

"Thanks for the ice cream. And the pizza and wings."

"Anytime."

"And for paying $8000 so I didn't have to endure another eight hours with a creepy fan."

Yara giggled. "Maybe this WWE Experience will make me into one of those creepy fans too."

"I highly doubt that."

For the first time in the night, there was a moment of silence between them. Yara took the opportunity to dig into her purse to find her keys. Colby's breathing became lighter. He bit his lip, fighting with himself. When Yara held her keys in her hand, she looked back up at Colby.

Colby went for it. He knew he had to. "Can I kiss you?"

"Of course you can."

Colby didn't waste any time. He leaned in, grabbing Yara's face in his hands, and kissed her. She placed her hands on his chest as Colby deepened the kiss, not being able to control himself as he backed her into the corner of her doorway.

Yara pulled away before things could go too far. Of course she was attracted to Colby – she thought that part was obvious – but she didn't want things to go too far. She wanted to keep some sort of mystery, some sort of allure about her. That plan would go down the drain if things became too steamy. "Goodnight, Colby," she smiled, biting her bottom lip.

"What?" he breathed out.

"Good night," she repeated, sticking her key in the door, unlocking it.

"G…Goodnight," he stuttered out, not believing they were going to stop there.

"I'll see you in Orlando," she said, walking into the building. "Text me."


	4. In View

When Yara strolled into her office the next morning, she saw an envelope stuffed with paper across her keyboard. Usually her boss, James, didn't just plop things on her desk without warning her. When she sat down, she read the sticky note on top of it.

\- _READ BEFORE LUNCH!_

 _Meet me at Tony's Salad Bar at noon_

 _READ! -_

Yara rolled her eyes at Laura's note. Laura had texted her throughout last night: _'Where are you?'_ ; _'Did you leave with that guy?'; 'WHERE ARE YOU?';_ Yara had ignored them all. She wanted to focus 100% of her attention to Colby, which she ended up doing. She'd had a great night with Colby, and she knew it would only get better from there.

When Laura wasn't at the office, Yara felt the most alone, but it was when she was able to get the most work done. Without the constant back and forth with Laura, Yara could actually focus on her writing. She wrote out her column and posted it to her magazine's website, informing her readers in her own sly way about the upper echelons of New York society. A mere five minutes after her post went live on the website, her desk phone rang. Her boss's number flashed across the screen

"Yo."

"Come to my office please."

"Okie dokes."

Yara let herself into James's office because she knew she could. Despite him being her boss, she and James were on good terms and were friends. She provided the online blog with a lot of hits, which meant a lot of advertising, which meant a lot of revenue. He couldn't _not_ like her. She knew he'd already read her blog post, so she wondered if he wanted to talk about it – maybe he wanted some more information on the Richard Clarke gossip -

"Laura told me you spent eight thousand dollars for a WWE Experience," were the first words out of his mouth.

Yara's smirk told James all he needed to know. He wasn't necessarily mad; he was just astounded that Yara would do such a thing. Usually she was very sensible, and this definitely wasn't sensible; definitely not the Yara that worked for him.

"Word travels fast," Yara said.

"Eight thousand dollars, Yara?"

"I was sitting beside the representative from the WWE and he was explaining to me exactly what the package entailed, and the entire concept of the WWE Performance Centre in Orlando, where this thing is," Yara explained, lying, of course. She couldn't just tell her boss she did it to save Colby from another encounter with a creepy fan. "It really intrigued me. It's basically a developmental program down there, but they still televise it – it's like college football, but with wrestling."

James brought his hands in prayer position against his lips. "Yara, I know you only watch hockey, but it's not the same thing. How are we even going to spin this into a story for -"

"Remember, the company is still owned and operate by Vince McMahon," Yara interrupted him, knowing the question would come up. "One of the biggest wrestling promoters in history. He and his daughter Stephanie are quite popular around here. His son-in-law, Paul Levesque, spearheaded this whole Performance Centre and it's getting to be as popular as the stuff that's broadcast on national TV."

Okay, so maybe she had done her homework before she got to work.

James mulled over the information. Yara crossed her arms over her chest, awaiting the verdict from James. She didn't need to be nervous; she knew she was going to win. It was only a matter of time.

James sighed. "It better be a damn good column, Yara," he said, shaking his head at himself.

"It will be. It always is."

"When is this thing, anyway?"

"In about six weeks," she said.

"You're not flying business class," James revealed.

"I don't care," she said, spinning on her heels and opening the door of his office to leave.

James shook his head. "The things I put up with."

XXXXXXXXXX

Yara saw Laura on the patio of Tony's Salad Bar. She greeted the hostess graciously before pointing to Laura, the hostess letting her straight through. Yara peered inside quickly, only to see Candice Grange, the new socialite who would attend the opening of an envelope if she heard about it. Yara saw her _everywhere_ – she didn't want to start to see her in her daily life too.

Yara had already lived in New York for almost five years before she met Laura, who had already been working at the _New York Social_ and various other smaller publications throughout the city. James had seated them next to each other because they were the same age (Laura was barely a year older) and because he just somehow knew they'd click. They hit it off right away – whenever Laura was invited to events, she always brought Yara. Whenever Yara needed advice on a column, or didn't know whom to approach in a room, Laura was there to guide her. Yara had even lived with Laura for a few weeks, during an in-between-apartments period. They'd had more wine dates than Yara could remember. They'd had more nights out than Yara wanted to admit for two women in their late twenties. It had all made Yara's New York experience second to none. She loved her job because of Laura. She loved New York because of Laura.

Laura didn't bother to stand up when she saw Yara approach the table because she was too busy texting away on her phone – probably dodging an invite for later that night. She took a sip of her water and waited patiently as the waiter approached the table and immediately asked Yara for her order – naturally, she ordered the burrito salad and the waiter was on his merry way.

"So how was your morning? I heard news travels fast," Yara started the conversation, unfolding her napkin and placing it on her lap.

"Did you read what was in the envelope?"

"No, I was writing and didn't have time," said Yara truthfully, leaning over to retrieve the giant envelope from her purse. "What's all this even about, Laura?" she asked, grabbing her water with her other hand to take a drink.

"You know that guy you went out with last night? Colby Lopez?"

"Mhm."

"Wanna see his dick?"

Yara choked on her water, coughing as Laura cocked her head to the side, giving her a look. "Oh, you didn't know then? Apparently not," Laura said in a cocky voice.

"What the hell?" Yara demanded, finally opening the envelope and retrieving the first of many pages – articles – that Laura had printed out. Just as Laura said, there it was – two pictures of him nude, his manhood blurred for moral decency.

"He'd been with this girl named Leighla for _years_ and she found out he was cheating on her with some chick in developmental – where _you're_ going for that thing you bid on," Laura said in hushed tones. "Leighla posted nude photos of Colby and his sidepiece on _his_ Instagram right before their show which goes live one night. Turns out that Instagram is linked to the WWE home page and every other social media he's on, so it showed up _everywhere_."

Yara couldn't believe what she was hearing, what she was skimming through in the article in her hand. Laura had clearly done the research, and she was right. Everything she was saying was true. Colby had cheated on a girlfriend he had, very publicly, with…well, an interesting looking woman. Looking between the two pictures of the women involved, Leighla and Zahra, Yara could see Colby apparently had a type – a type that she did not fit, at least physically. "Jesus Christ," Yara muttered.

"Mhhmmmm," Laura nodded vehemently as she watched Yara take out another article. "Not so likeable now, huh?" she asked rhetorically.

Yara knew Laura would bring up something like that. Laura was the master at finding one thing wrong with a person, then blowing them off immediately. She was like Jason Alexander's character in Shallow Hal who refused to date a beautiful woman because her second toe was longer than her big toe. Yara hated to say it, but Laura was a perfectionist in her love life. Yara was a firm believer that it was okay to have high expectations and to never settle, but Laura's expectations were above and beyond.

Yara shook her head. "He's still likeable," she admitted, knowing it would send Laura into frenzy.

"After everything you've been through, you think he's still likeable?" Laura asked. "Yara, _come on_."

"What? I can't help it," Yara said. "I've told you before and I've told you again, cheating is horrible. In most cases it's unforgiveable. But it doesn't necessarily make you a bad person."

"I can't believe you still take that stance," Laura shook her head. "You're a much better person than me, that's for sure."

Yara couldn't help but smile at Laura's comment. She knew that Laura was looking out for her and had her best interests at heart, and that's all that mattered. What Laura was saying and doing was, in her own way, out of the goodness of her own heart. "So whenever I need a private investigator, I know who to call. What else have you found out about him?" Yara asked.

"That's the biggest shit stain on his record…even though it's a pretty big shit stain. He's a pretty successful wrestler, I'll give you that," Laura revealed. "He got over a pretty bad knee injury not too long ago, so be careful when you ride him."

" _LAURA!"_

XXXXXXXXXX

"How was your trip to New York? Kiss a lot of corporate ass?"

Colby smirked at the question posed by his good friend Claudio Castagnoli as they finished their CrossFit workout. Colby had flown back home to Davenport on Saturday evening after the charity dinner, stopping in at his wrestling academy to teach some classes on Sunday, before he woke up early Monday morning to drive to Milwaukee for Raw. It had been a busy weekend, but a good one.

What made it even better was the constant text messages between him and Yara since he had left New York. He could practically hear her sarcastic tone and sense of humour through the words on the screen. Sometimes she even responded in memes, as if she knew the direct way to his heart. No girl he knew responded with memes. She was back at work today, just like him, so the conversation was a little lighter, but still ongoing. He wondered how long they could keep it up for. Sometimes, there was only so much fuel in the tank to keep something going, although Colby had an inkling there would be a lot of fuel for this fire.

"It wasn't half bad, actually," Colby admitted, grabbing a towel to dry his face of the sweat.

"A room full of corporate jerks and it 'wasn't half bad'?" Claudio asked. "Come on. Give me the details."

Colby pondered if he should tell Claudio, or if he should keep it a secret. By this point, Claudio knew something was up, so if Colby lied or didn't tell him, he'd only get pissed off. Colby didn't like a pissed off Claudio. Honestly was the best policy…even if he was going to meander to the point. "I just sat at a table with some interesting people."

Claudio waited for him to elaborate. When he didn't, he got frustrated. "…And?"

"And…I don't know. You remember that woman who buys the WWE Fan Experiences for her adult son, and then she came and flirted with you and Fergal as her son was doing the tour or whatever?" Colby asked. Claudio nodded his head. "She was there."

"Get the fuck out. Did she come up to you?"

"No, she kept a safe distance. But I mean, I was there to promote the WWE Fan Experience to benefit Connor's Cure."

"Tell me she fucking won it and we have to deal with that again."

Colby giggled at Claudio's obvious disdain for the woman. She was pretty infamous around the Performance Centre – some of the guys had created myths about her to scare the newer talent. "No, she didn't win."

"Thank the Lord."

"The woman I was sitting beside outbid her," Colby revealed slyly. "Paid eight thousand bucks to come over here."

Claudio's eyes almost popped out of their sockets when he heard the amount. "Who is this woman you were sitting beside?"

Colby smiled. "Her name's Yara Ghanbari."

Claudio couldn't quite put two-and-two together yet. "So this random woman beside you decided to spend a small fortune on a tour of the Performance Centre…but…why the hell would she do that?"

All Colby did was smirk. It didn't take long for Claudio to catch on at that point. "Don't fucking tell me."

"Nothing happened," Colby clarified. "But we had been talking the entire night, like, basically non-stop. After she picked up her prize we ditched the event and ended up wandering around New York until five in the morning."

"Are you serious?"

"As serious as a stroke."

"Did you get her number?"

"Absolutely."

"Was there a lot of talking or was there a lot of other things happening with the mouth?" Claudio asked, making mock kissing noises.

"Nah man, literally just talking. We exchanged numbers and kissed at the end of the night, but that's it. No…other business," Colby said.

Claudio nodded his head, knowing his friend was telling the truth. Colby told him about most of his escapades, so Claudio would know if he were lying or not. "Yara Ghanbari then…what does she do?"

"She's a reporter for this blog and magazine that writes gossip about the people of New York…you know, like the socialites," Colby explained. "So she's invited to a bunch of these events and she finds out information about these pretty powerful people and she writes about it."

Colby watched as Claudio's face suddenly turned serious at the mention of her being a reporter, and he understood why. Some reporters were hacks – okay, a lot of reporters were hacks, especially reporters that dealt with the wrestling business. They weren't exactly a wrestler's favourite person. "She's a reporter, huh?"

"Yeah, why?"

"So do you reckon she knows about your 2015?"

Colby swallowed hard. He hadn't thought about that. It wasn't something he liked to think about, if he was being honest, but it was a stain on his professional and personal life that he would never be able to resolve or get rid of. That was the problem with the internet. Now Claudio got him thinking. Did Yara know about it? He'd be an idiot to think she didn't know – she was a reporter, and just one google of his name and it would show up. She must have googled him after she got home, right? She must have seen and read the stories. She must have.

Yet she was still texting him. Still talking to him.

"You know she knows," Claudio said, snapping Colby out of his thoughts. "I mean not for anything, but one google of your name and it pops up."

"Thanks, tips."

"I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just being realistic. Has she texted you since then? Have you texted her?"

"We've been texting non-stop since Saturday," Colby revealed. "I mean…she hasn't brought anything up, but we're talking."

Claudio looked impressed with what he was hearing. For someone to know what happened and still brush it aside was definitely something. Not a lot of women Colby met after the incident could brush it aside so easily. "Well, that's a plus," Claudio said, shrugging his shoulders.

"What are the chances she didn't google me?" Colby asked.

"Slim to none."

"Right," Colby shook his head. "Well, I guess I'm just gonna have to deal with it, right?"

"Whenever it comes up. Don't be like 'Hey, by any chance, did you google my name and see my dick?', because that'll definitely scare her off."

"Again, thank you, tips."

"I'm just trying to help you. If I was around back then I would have told you not to send those dick pics," Claudio smirked devilishly.

"Can we not go there please."

Claudio shook his head in amusement. "Come on, we've gotta go shower before we head out for lunch. Can't go to Chipotle looking like a hot sweaty mess."


	5. The Lookahead

_How was work today? – Colby_

Could have been better unfortunately – Yara

 _What happened?_

I wasn't the first to get a big scoop so my boss got mad

 _Aw shit, that's horrible_

I know…it's the worst

 _Well they can't expect you to get every big scoop right?_

It was kind of a big deal. I'm not impressed with myself right now.

 _Is there anything I can do to help make you feel better?_

You're all the way in San Jose

 _So?_

:)

 _;)_

Tell me about the stupidest thing you've ever done on the job

 _Woman…there's a hierarchy of my stupidity. There's too much._

Tell me one!

 _My mouth always gets me into trouble. I once told off one of my own trainers because I thought he was doing a move wrong._

OMG seriously? You have some balls!

 _I know. I was a punk ass kid. I smartened up…sorta_

That's debatable

 _Oh thanks_

Anytime ;) gonna go shower…I'll talk to you in a bit

 _Ok. Don't beat yourself up over not getting the scoop. There will be more for you in the future. This is barely a bump for you. I'm sure your boss still knows you're the best in town._

XXXXXXXXXX

Coooolllllbyyyy :)

Coooooooooolllllllllbbbbbbbyyyyyyyyyy :) :) :)

COOOOOLLLLLLBBBBYYYYYYY :) :) :) :) :)

 _Hey_

Hiiiiiiiiiiiiii :)

 _You're drunk aren't you_

No

 _Where are you?_

I'm at a fwrend bdayt paerty! Not drink

 _You're hammered_

Noooooo! I'm OK

Remememember the convo we hd a couple dayts ago abt fave hobbies

 _Yes_

I really want brie cheese rn

 _Ummmmm_

 _I don't think using the oven in your state would be very smart_

You're right

 _Tomorrow_

Tomorrow

 _Brie cheese is a good hangover cure_

OMG really

 _No Yara_

You're a meanie

XXXXXXXXXX

 _How you feeling this morning princess?_

Don't.

 _Hahahahahahahahaha_

DON'T LAUGH AT ME!

 _So what put you over the edge?_

It was definitely the tequila

 _It's always the tequila!_

 _Now I know how to get you drunk ;)_

You wouldn't

 _I wouldn't. But if I ever needed to…_

Ugh I feel like shit

 _Gatorade plus advil_

 _Works like a charm_

 _If I was there I'd make you chicken soup_

Awww

 _Give you a head massage_

Really ;)

 _Yup they're the best_

What else

Tell me more :)

 _After the head massage I'd massage your feet_

 _You were probably in a pair of sky high heels last night_

 _Which is horrible for you_

Mmmmmmmmmmm what else

 _Anything to make you feel better babe_

 _Give you some kisses_

Oh yeah? :)

 _Yeah_

Where would you kiss me?

 _Everywhere_

 _Your lips, your neck_

 _Down to your collarbone_

 _You like the sound of that?_

 _Yara_

 _Yara?_

 _Fuck_

XXXXXXXXXX

What are you up to?

 _Just in catering right now, eating some dinner before the show_

 _Will you be watching?_

Yup :)

I don't have anything else planned for tonight

You're lucky you get food made for you lol

I'm stuck here over a hot stove

 _What are you making for dinner_

Home made mac and cheese

I was craving hard

 _Holy hell_

 _That sounds better than grilled chicken and veg_

 _Save me some!_

Lol are you planning a trip to New York sometime soon

In between your trip to Calgary

Or Iowa

Or the Pacific Northwest

Or Chicago

 _If there is home made mac and cheese waiting for me I might_

 _I'd do a lot of things for good food_

What about pizza from Nino's?

 _I'd walk to New York for that pizza again_

Colby…

I miss you

 _I miss you too_

I keep thinking about that night

 _I know, me too_

And how we just clicked, you know?

 _Yeah_

Like I felt it when we were just sitting at the table surrounded by all those people

 _Me too_

That's never happened to me before

 _Never happened to me either_

 _I don't think I've ever clicked with a person that fast_

 _Usually there's a huge like, warming up period_

 _But that wasn't there with you_

And like

We've been talking non-stop

Like obviously there's breaks for work and stuff but the only person I can hold a conversation with for this long is Laura

 _Yeah_

So I'm not crazy to think there's…something

 _Definitely not_

 _I feel it too Yara_

 _I miss you like crazy_

 _And I feel whatever is between us too_

Ok…good

I'm kinda glad that's out in the open

 _Me too_

 _I mean I thought I made it obvious that night lol_

You did

I'm just a bit…

I don't know

I guess I need reassurance or whatever

 _It's okay I get it_

 _I'm sure you get a lot of dates in NY though_

Not particularly

 _Liar_

I'm being serious

I guess that's why I needed to make sure

 _Cause there's been a kiss at the end of the night but then it leads to nothing?_

Exactly

 _Well I meant my kiss_

Good

I meant it too

XXXXXXXXXX

From: Colby Lopez

To: Yara Ghanbari

Subject: no subject

Wanna give me your flight details? I'm landing in Orlando the night before. I can pick u up at the airport.

XXXXXXXXXX

From: Yara Ghanbari

To: Colby Lopez

Subject: RE: no subject

I'm on AA202. Landing at 8am…think you can wake up that early?

XXXXXXXXXX

From: Colby Lopez

To: Yara Ghanbari

Subject: RE: RE: no subject

U forgot I'm CrossFit Jesus…I will rise.

XXXXXXXXXX

From: Yara Ghanbari

To: Colby Lopez

Subject: RE: RE: RE: no subject

Is it gonna be awkward for me at the PC with you? I mean I'm sure everyone there knows you. Isn't it gonna be weird that I'm being led around by you? And all the other people who paid for the experience (if there are any other people, I don't even know) just get led by someone else?

XXXXXXXXXX

From: Colby Lopez

To: Yara Ghanbari

Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: no subject

It'll be fine Yara. We can just explain the situation and lie a little bit – say that I was attached to the prize you bid on. A little lying never hurt anyone ;) stop being so neurotic.

Can I take you to dinner that night?

XXXXXXXXXX

From: Yara Ghanbari

To: Colby Lopez

Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: no subject

Sorry.

And yes.


	6. Poets

Surprisingly enough, Yara didn't have a rough morning despite her 4am wake-up call. She made sure to pack the night before, leaving nothing to the last minute, and made her merry way to LaGuardia Airport for her flight to Orlando. The fact that she had three coffees before she boarded the plane probably helped.

She'd never been to Orlando before and didn't quite know what to expect besides maybe palm trees and Disney merchandise everywhere. Colby had made it explicitly clear that he wanted her to text him once she had landed so he could make his way over to the airport. As soon as the flight attendants told the passengers it was safe to use their phones, she did just that.

The Orlando airport was beautiful – much more visually appealing than LaGuardia, that's for sure. Even the baggage claim area was nicer, although luckily for her, everything she had packed for the weekend fit in her carry-on. She walked straight through baggage claim and on to the doors opening before her.

She noticed Colby almost immediately. He had his phone in his hand but was looking directly at the doors, waiting to see her. He had his hair tied back and some sort of baseball hat with a logo on, shielding a lot of his face. She waved at him haphazardly before she noticed he was on the move, wanting to meet her at the bottom of the ramp.

Colby hadn't been at the airport very long, but it felt like ages. He'd been waiting for this moment for virtually six weeks. Finally, _finally_ , he got to see Yara again, in all her glory. To no surprise to him, she was dressed professionally, like she was going into work at her office; not at all like she had just been on a two and a half hour flight. She looked like a million bucks, like a true New Yorker – like _she_ was the socialite and not the reporter.

"Fancy seeing you here," she smiled as she approached him, dragging her carry-on suitcase behind her.

"I promised you I'd be the one to show you around the Performance Centre," Colby smiled. "I don't go back on my promises."

Now came the awkward part. Colby didn't know whether to kiss her, hug her, or just stay as he was. He hadn't seen her in almost six weeks, and, even though they talked every day and there was a clear mutual attraction, he still agonized over it. He was like a pathetic little schoolboy, getting nervous and worked up about it. When he saw Yara extend her arms he finally had his answer.

They embraced each other tightly, her face on his chest. "I missed you," she admitted quietly, inhaling his scent.

Colby closed his eyes and let those words overtake him. He couldn't express how happy it made him to actually hear those words, and not just see them over text messages and emails. "I missed you too."

As they stood in the arrivals section hugging, Colby pressed his lips to the top of Yara's head, savouring the citrus-y scent on her hair and the feeling of her arms wrapped around his neck. When she finally pulled away, Colby's hands remained on her waist. "I made a reservation at the Marriott in Winter Park," she informed him. "Do you know where that is? I don't want to get lost and all."

"Do you want to cancel your reservation?" he asked, his voice low.

Yara bit her lip. "As tempting as it is, I think it's better if we have separate living quarters this time around," she said. "This _is_ only the second time I'm actually hugging you."

Fair enough. Colby knew he shouldn't push her or put up a fight. "Suit yourself," he smiled. "I've got a Jacuzzi tub."

"I've got the suite," she winked, one-upping him. He furrowed his eyebrows comically. "What can I say? The company card has its perks."

"Damn company cards," Colby huffed, dropping his hands from her waist. He quickly grabbed her hand. "Want to get going?"

XXXXXXXXXX

"I want to welcome you all to the WWE Performance Centre. Consider yourselves lucky – you are about to get an unprecedented look into WWE's training grounds, including what goes on here, what exactly we do, and how exactly we do it," Matt Bloom, who Yara learned just moments before, was the Head Coach. The woman standing beside him, Sara Amato, was the other Head Coach. She was the same size as Yara but was dwarfed standing next to Matt.

"Today, you're going to be getting a first-hand look at the daily operations of the WWE Performance Centre. You'll witness training sessions, participate in a promo class where you'll cut your very own promos, call a match with Tom Phillips, our announcer, and even have lunch with the NXT Superstars who call this place home," Sara said, smiling.

Yara was one of three women in the room, among the special group of 20. Both of the other women were fans, which made Yara the odd one out. She always knew she would be, considering the circumstances that got her here in the first place, but now that she was actually in the situation, she felt like she stuck out like a sore thumb. It was probably very obvious to everyone around her, and to Matt and Sara.

"Now, your group is extremely lucky today – probably the luckiest group ever – because today you have a WWE Superstar making an appearance with you. He'll be helping us lead you around to show you what we do. Everybody, please welcome WWE Superstar Seth Rollins."

Everybody in the group began to clap, and when he came through the door, everyone, particularly some of the men, began to scream. Yara clapped and screamed along with them, trying to blend in. Colby acknowledged everybody and shook Matt and Sara's hands. He then turned back to everyone, giving everyone a smug grin. "Are you ready?"

Everybody hoot and hollered again, and Yara wondered if that was some sort of wrestling catch phrase everybody but her was familiar with. As Matt continued to talk about the rules of the Performance Centre, Yara eyed Colby, who was already looking at her. She couldn't hide the smile that crept onto her face; she looked away so she wouldn't get too flustered, and tried to pay attention to Matt. _Only follow us into the designated areas. Do not trespass through doors that say PC Personnel Only. Be respectful of the NXT Superstars and their personal space. You may take photos, but absolutely no videos._

"Well, if everyone is clear on that, we can get going. Once you go outside this door, I want everyone to line up single file against the wall and wait until Sara or I lead you to where you'll be 'signing your contracts'," Matt said. Everybody got up on his word, giddy that their day was about to begin. Colby, Matt, and Sara watched as everyone filed out of the room. As Yara walked past them, she smiled politely.

"You must be the columnist from New York," Matt said, his voice low to ensure nobody outside, already lined up, could hear him.

Yara stopped dead in her tracks. "How'd you know?"

"If Big Mouth over here didn't tell me, the wardrobe is a dead giveaway. You're the only one here in tailored pants."

Yara suddenly became self-conscious. She _had_ noticed that everyone in the room was either wearing casual clothes or a wrestling t-shirt. She knew she should have asked Colby if he had any. "I -"

"I wish a lot more people were like you," Sara said before Yara could say anything. "Trying to get our athletes into suits is like trying to get a creampuff into a keyhole."

Yara couldn't help but smile at Sara's comment. "Thanks."

Matt smiled at her too. "Just promise to write something nice, okay?"

XXXXXXXXXX

"You know, I'd actually prefer not to cut the promo. I can sit back and watch."

"No way! You've gotta cut one! It'll be good!"

"No, really, it's okay."

"Come oooonnnn, it's all part of the experience!"

"I really don't think I'm cut out for it."

"Nobody here is cut out for it, but you gotta practice! That's what makes you good."

"Really, I'm okay."

"Don't you want to get a feel for what the superstars have to go through?"

Yara gave a death stare to the man who was trying to coax her into performing a promo. A lot of the group had already gone through, and she was somewhere in the last five. "You paid a lot of money for this, you may as well do it," he said.

 _If you only knew._

"You should do it, miss," she heard Colby's voice from the back of the room. "You'll see how much fun it is once you're actually doing it. Then you won't want to stop talking."

She wanted to kill him. She gave him a worse death stare than she gave the man as she stood up from her seat and walked through the door towards the green screen, on to the T that had been put on the ground in black tape. Colby led a round of applause as she left the room. She was really going to kill him.

"Yara," Matt greeted her with a smile. "Have you thought about what you're going to say?"

"Kind of. Is it okay if I pretend to be a character?"

"Of course! It's better that way."

"Okay. Can I pretend to be a stuck-up snob from New York?" she asked.

"I feel like you have a lot of experience with that type," he smiled. "Whenever you're ready. This is gonna be good."

Yara took a deep breath in, looking down to the floor before looking at the camera in front of her, like most of the others did. "Ugh, would it kill someone to put some decent lighting in this place? This light is ruining all my good angles," she began, pretending to check herself out in the camera. "I don't understand why everybody here is so… _gross_. Like, I understand we're in Florida and all, but where I'm from, 5th Avenue in New York City, we don't _do_ ugly. We don't _do_ gross. We are refined, and sophisticated, and so much better than any of you. I know it's hard for you to imagine five star restaurants and concierge service here in Florida, but that's exactly what I'm used to. You see, I don't think any of you know exactly _who_ you're talking to. I'm Yara Ghanbari. My father, the inventor of Toaster Strudel, gave me anything and everything I ever wanted. Want to know why? Because I _deserved_ it. You should be laying out a _carpet_ as I walk down the ramp, _sweeping_ the ring before I get in it, and sanitizing those God-awful ropes. I am the wealthiest, most privileged person to ever step foot in the WWE. You should all be _bowing_ when you see me – I'm like your version of royalty! Yeah, that's right, royalty! Because I know it, and all of you will soon come to realize, I am the best thing that's ever happened to this business."

Matt had a look of pure amusement on his face. As it was clear that she had ended her short promo, he began to clap at her attempt. "That was great, Yara!" he said enthusiastically.

"Thanks Mr. Bloom," she said, walking back into the room where the rest of the group were watching and waiting. When she opened the door, they erupted in a polite round of applause for her.

She looked to Colby to see he had a giant shit-eating grin on his face. "You were fantastic!"

"You're just saying that," she said, her hands covering her face out of sheer embarrassment that she actually went through with it.

"I'm not! Ask Tom! I was laughing back here!" Colby defended himself. "You were thoroughly entertaining. A plus on the Mean Girls reference too."

"He's right," Tom spoke up. "We were all really enjoying it."

"Well, thank you. You're far too kind. I can't believe I actually did that…I never want to be in front of the camera like that again."

XXXXXXXXXX

Yara couldn't believe it, but she was actually having fun. She knew upon her arrival that she would be out of her element, but she was having a great time and got to ask and witness some pretty amazing things. She got a chance to talk with some of the talent working at the Performance Centre and see them train – there was no doubt in her mind, as the day wrapped up, that this would be an interesting article to write. Matt and Sara had talked about some really interesting things while leading them around, and Colby even shared some insights of his own journey through developmental before he 'got called up with the Shield', whatever that meant.

As the group of 20 waited for their personalized memorabilia – a signed chair, a gift bag, videos of their promos and a recording of their announcing – Yara could feel Colby staring at her again. She talked to Matt and Sara as much as she could, assuring them that her signed chair could be taken by another member of the group for their child at home – anything to keep her eyes off him. She couldn't take it when he looked at her like that. It was only the second time in each other's presence and she already felt the effect of his stares.

"So you enjoyed yourself then, even without doing the entrance?" Matt asked.

"Oh yeah, I loved it. Everything was so unexpected to me. It's like walking in to a brand new world."

"How do you think the article is going to go over with your boss?"

"I think he'll like it. I'll have to start working on it soon, so it can make it into our next issue."

"Is it a sports magazine that you write for?"

Yara couldn't help but smile. "Not quite. But I can promise to send you a copy of the article once it's printed."

Matt smiled at her offer and took her up on it. He shook her hand politely and wished her well. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket and took it out quickly to see who was trying to contact her.

 _Meet me near my car in 10 minutes. Black BMW X5._

Of course it was from Colby. _Of course_.

As she made her way out of the Performance Centre, she made sure to say her goodbyes to the other fans who had attended with her, getting a hearty thank you and handshake from the man who took her signed chair for his young son at home. When more or less all of the fans were gone, she made her way out the door and went looking for a BMW X5. When she located it, she waited patiently for Colby to show up. The longer she waited, the more her fatigue set in. She was functioning on very few hours of sleep and had already been awake for 12 hours.

She waited for five minutes.

Ten minutes.

Another text message came through her phone. _Where are you?_

 _I'm waiting by your car!_ Where on God's green earth was he? She couldn't exactly go barging into the Performance Centre again asking about him. She'd found the right car – she wasn't a complete idiot. She knew what a BMW X5 looked like.

 _Wrong car._

Yara looked up and saw another black SUV turning through the parking lot, stopping right in front of her. The window was already rolled down, and she could see Colby in the driver's seat. "Hop in."

She slipped into the car quickly, barely having time to close the door before Colby's foot was on the pedal. "What are the chances there was another black BMW X5 in the parking lot," Yara asked rhetorically, shaking her head.

"Where do you want to go for dinner tonight?" Colby cut right to the chase.

Ah, right. Dinner. Yara was ready to fall asleep now that she was in the car. "Doesn't matter to me. You know Orlando better than I do."

"Well what kind of food do you like?"

"Everything."

"What's your favourite type of food?"

"Everything."

"You're really making it easy for me. Can you just tell me what you want?"

"I want a nice steak. Or sushi. Surprise me," Yara smiled.

Colby looked over at her, grinning at her requests. "Opposite ends of the spectrum, but okay," he acquiesced.

"Can I take a nap first though?" Yara asked.

"A nap? What are you, eighty?"

Yara snorted her laughter. "I've been up since 4am. If you want me to be any type of pleasant tonight you're going to have to let me nap."

"Alright, alright. You want to go back to your hotel?"

"Yes please."

"Do you…" Colby began, choosing his words wisely. "Do you want me to come up too or…"

"Don't you want to be surprised after I 'freshen' myself up?" Yara asked, using air quotes to make her point.

"You're refusing my advances?"

"More like postponing."

Colby was trying to hold back his smile, but Yara could tell her answer made him giddy and excited. "What time do you want me to pick you up?" he asked.

"Give me three hours to nap and get ready. Then I'm all yours."

"Good," Colby nodded his head. "Cause I want you to be all mine."


	7. Fireworks

_Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your positive comments on the story thus far. Please leave a review letting me know what you think, I LOVE hearing from you guys and love reading the reviews! Hope you enjoy this next chapter._

XXXXXXXXXX

Yara had showered, napped, and gotten dolled up for her dinner with Colby. For the first time in a long time, she didn't know where the night would lead. She was prepared mentally for many different scenarios, although she knew half of them wouldn't happen. Realistically, the night could go one of two ways: they could hit it off, again, and see what would happen despite the distance; or they'd find out that night in New York was a one off, that their conversations for the last six weeks were meaningless, and go their separate ways.

The latter was highly unlikely.

When concierge called her room to notify her that a guest was waiting for her, Yara knew it was go time. She made sure her lipstick didn't smear and that her hair wasn't frizzy before she left her room, grabbing the elevator down to meet Colby.

When Colby saw her, he gave her the complete up and down. She wore a white, beaded, ¾ sleeve length top with an A-line skirt. Colby was in a pair of skinny navy pants and a crisp gingham shirt, the top button unbuttoned, of course. There was no way he'd be so square to button his top button. Yara smiled immediately when she saw him, memories of him in his suit all those weeks ago in New York flooding her mind. He looked good then, and he definitely looked good now. Hell – he even looked good this afternoon, when he was in mainly work out gear. She was starting to think it was impossible for him to look bad.

"Hey."

"You look phenomenal," were the first words out of his mouth.

"You look pretty good too."

"I chose steak."

"You chose well."

He grabbed her hand and laced his fingers with hers. "You wanna get going?"

"Yes please, I'm starving."

As they made their way to the restaurant in Colby's car, Yara looked out the window, taking in the sights of Orlando. Truth be told, there wasn't much to see – not like New York – but she liked how a lot of people were out and enjoying themselves, considering it was such a nice night out. Colby gave his keys to the valet parking attendant while he and Yara made their way inside of Luma on the Park. They were seated immediately and given a wine list and menus.

After they ordered their meals and the waitress cleared their menus, Yara felt Colby stare again. He had a small, boy-like grin on his face. "Are you ever going to stop staring?" she asked.

"Not if I can help it."

Yara tried not to blush but knew the attempt was futile. "So your job seems pretty cool. Everybody in that room seemed to worship the ground you walk on."

"The superstars never lead tours of the PC – only Matt and Sara do that. They knew they were lucky."

"And you just had to make an exception."

"Of course I did."

"You could have done whatever else you wanted this weekend, but you came to Orlando," Yara mused.

"I told you I'd be here, Yara."

"You could have gone home."

Colby shrugged his shoulders. "I'll go home another weekend."

"Do you still live in Iowa?"

Colby nodded his head. "I've got a place there, and a wrestling school in Moline, across the river," he explained. "Whenever I'm home I pop in there too, see what they're up to."

"You started your own wrestling school?"

"Yeah. Black and Brave Wrestling Academy. You should look it up," Colby winked at her.

She'd definitely do that when she got back to the hotel. She would probably be able to use it for her article. "So who do you go see when you're back in Iowa?"

"The usual. My mom, my dad, my brother. Sometimes my friends if they're not working or doing their own thing. Mostly just my family, really."

"You must miss them a lot, especially when you get so busy on the road."

"Yeah, I do…but it's all a part of the sacrifice," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "So what about your family? Do they still live in Vancouver?"

"As far as I know," Yara smiled quickly before she brought her water to her lips.

"What do your mom and dad think of your writing? Do they read a lot of your work?" Colby asked, taking a sip of his own.

"Uh, no," Yara said, her tone flat. "My parents don't know I work for a magazine. They don't know I write or anything."

"Why not?"

Yara shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Um, we don't have the best relationship," she chose her words diplomatically. "We just uh…we don't keep in touch."

"You don't speak to your family?"

"They'd rather not speak to me," Yara said truthfully. "I haven't spoken to them since I moved to New York City."

Distance was one thing, but Colby knew there was something beneath the surface. He felt like he would have to pry it out of her. Whether or not he'd do that tonight was another story. "Okay, well, tell me about your family at least. Where are you guys from?"

Yara arched an eyebrow. "What, just because I'm light brown I can't be Canadian?"

"Yara, I didn't mean -"

"I'm only joking." Colby let out a breath. She knew he was trying. She knew she was being mean, and resolved to stop, at least for the duration for the dinner. "Both my parents are Iranian. They immigrated to Vancouver from Tehran."

"Were you born in Tehran or Vancouver?"

"Vancouver."

"That's cool. Do you have any siblings?"

Yara shifted uncomfortably in her seat again, not making eye contact with Colby. "Mhm," she nodded her head.

Colby waited for her to elaborate. "An older sister? An older brother…?" he pushed.

"One older sister."

"So an older sister. What's her name?"

"Rana."

"And…?" Colby pestered her to go on.

"I have a brother," Yara revealed.

"What's his name?"

"Naveed."

"And how old is he?"

"He's my twin. So he'd be my age."

Colby paused, noticing Yara's choice of words. "Would be."

"Yeah. He passed away."

"Oh shit, I'm so sorry," Colby said, regretting now that he pestered her, that he made her bring it up. "How long ago did he pass?"

"It'll be eleven years this year."

Colby shook his head, beating himself up. He just had to go there, didn't he? He had to bring it up. "I'm sorry, I'm such an assh-"

"It's okay, Colby. There's no way you would have known," Yara interrupted him.

Colby stayed silent, still shaking his head at himself. "I'm sorry."

Yara's hand reached across the table to grab Colby's, squeezing it. "It's _okay_ , Colby."

They stared at each other for a few moments. Colby took a moment to take in what she had revealed to him and the severity of her issue. The whole situation probably wasn't easy for her to talk about. He sighed heavily before resolving that he needed to change the subject. "You know about my 2015, don't you," he said as more of a statement than a question.

He could see Yara stiffen slightly. Her thumb stopped rubbing over his. "I uh…I may have read a few articles."

"What did you read?"

Yara wondered where he was going with this. "You cheated on your fiancé with a woman in developmental, and she posted nude photos onto your social media."

"Did you see those too?"

"Yup."

"Lovely."

Yara couldn't help but smile as he leaned back in his chair. It must be awful for him to have everyone know that about you the second they google your name. "Colby…I don't want you to think…I mean I didn't go out searching for dirt or something. It was Laura that showed them to me. Not that I'm trying to blame her. But I was just content in my ignorant bliss, I wasn't going to search for you or anything. I mean I'm crazy but I'm not that crazy."

Colby chuckled. "It's okay…I made my bed, now I've gotta lay in it, you know?"

"Yeah. But it's still very, _very_ wrong that she did that. I mean…she could have ruined your life…your career."

"I think that was the point."

"Okay, maybe it was, but that doesn't make it right. It's still an incredibly horrible thing for her to do."

Colby was in awe of her defense of him. When the whole thing broke out, he didn't think he'd ever been called an idiot more often than in the days following. He was being scolded for sending nude pictures, for taking such pictures with his face in them (at least if there was no face he could say it wasn't him), for not keeping a tougher password on his social media account, for sending those sappy text messages to the other woman – literally _everything_. Of course he was most chastised and scolded for cheating on his girlfriend of seven years – one that, because of that history, knew and was friends with a lot of wrestlers he knew as well. And here Yara was, speaking as if she was absolving him of -

"—But you've gotta admit, you were a complete fucking idiot."

And there it was. "You're not the first person to tell me that, believe me."

"I'm not judging you, though," Yara admitted. "Everyone has a reason to cheat. I'm not so naïve as to think relationships are always blissful and you did that simply because you're an awful person. I don't know the whole story but I know there is one."

"Things just changed between us," Colby said. He couldn't believe they were getting into this over dinner. They didn't even have bread rolls yet. "I loved her for so long and I was with her for such a long time, and then in and around the time we got engaged, things just started to…I don't know. I thought if I proposed it would make things better. I mean I had every intention of proposing, but I did it early because I thought it would help things. But it didn't. She didn't seem to care anymore. She wouldn't call me to make sure I got somewhere safe. She would cut Skype sessions short and promise to call later but then never did. And I'm not saying I wasn't to blame, I probably did a lot of shit too but…it was as if she was letting go. And it gets lonely on the road…you've got your friends and you're traveling together but nothing compares to having your girl with you."

"And then you met this new girl."

"I felt alone all the time. Like, _all the time_. And Leighla wasn't doing anything about it. The new girl…Zahra…I loved that she cared – that she _seemed_ like she cared. She helped me feel less alone, you know? Always texting me, always kind of around. I never planned for it to happen."

"No-one ever does."

Colby shook his head again. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this."

"Because I asked," Yara said, not entirely sure that was even true. "Are you still…I mean, do you still see her? Zahra?"

"Oh _God_ no. No way. We…no. We broke up a long time ago," he said. "Seriously…that whole thing was a huge mistake. The worst mistake. The shittiest mistake I ever made."

"Why?"

"She wasn't the person I thought she was," Colby shrugged out.

"What about Leighla?"

"We co-own a dog together, so we're somewhat on speaking terms," he revealed. "But there's no love lost."

There was a moment of silence between the pair, Yara contemplating everything Colby had revealed to her. There was a lot to think about, a lot to digest from what he just told her. She wasn't exactly going to do it right now, at dinner with him, but it was something to think about. He carried a lot of baggage, so to speak, especially if they were going to pursue something.

"What are you thinking right now?" Colby's words interrupted her thoughts.

Yara's mind was going a mile a minute. She was thinking about a lot of things – most of them about what they had just talked about. As she looked into his eyes, she came to the quick realization that Colby Lopez, despite his past indiscretions, was not a bad person. She was surprised at herself for thinking this, for having come to the realization this quick; for coming to the decision this _easily_. She didn't know what it was about him that drew her to him. "I'm thinking about you," she finally answered.

"What about me?" he asked, fearing the worst.

"I'm thinking about how good you look in that suit. I'm thinking about how well you carried on in your life and career despite being publicly humiliated. I'm thinking about your atonement for cheating. I'm thinking about a lot of things."

"I always wonder what's going on in that head of yours," he admitted.

"Too much. And a lot of it is about you."

XXXXXXXXXX

Colby couldn't keep his hands off of her.

After dinner, as they waited for the valet attendant to bring Colby's car around, his arm was around her waist, grabbing her hand, grabbing everywhere. In the car, their hands were clasped together tightly in Yara's lap as Colby drove through the streets back to her hotel. When he turned into the front parking lot, Yara looked over at him. "You might want to go to the back parking lot."

Colby looked at her. "Huh?"

"Back parking lot."

Colby did as he was told, turning through front parking and making his way to the back. It was only about a third full. "Is this okay?"

"Back corner would be better…away from all the cars and anybody walking."

Oh. _Oh_.

Colby parked the car in the far corner. He barely had time to turn off the car and recline his seat before Yara had hopped over the centre console and straddled his lap. Her lips immediately crashed onto his and just as quickly, Colby slipped his hands underneath her skirt and his tongue into her mouth.

His lips were soft but his beard was rough against her skin. They moved so in tune to hers that she really wondered if he was able to read her mind. His hands kept wandering up and down her thighs, getting dangerously close to centre multiple times, making her sigh and whimper into his mouth. Before she knew what was happening, one of his hands had come up to pull her hair gently and tilt her head back, exposing her neck. She moaned at the sensation of his lips on her neck, kissing, biting, sucking.

When his lips returned to her mouth, his hands returned to her thighs, moving around to the back to cup her ass and pull her even closer to him. She could feel how hard he was getting as she rubbed against him, but that thought was soon cut short when she felt his hands at her centre, pushing her lace underwear to the side. His fingers slid over her folds gently, making her gasp. Immediately thinking she should return the favour, she dropped her hands between them to the waistband of his pants.

"No," Colby immediately stopped her, grabbing her hands with his one free hand. "I want to make you feel good. Tell me what you like."

Oh _God_ , like she was going to be coherent at this very moment. She let out another sigh as his fingers kept teasing. "I like…I like…"

Apparently she was too slow for him, because he slipped one finger into her, making her gasp in pleasure. He bit his lip to suppress the smug smile he had on his face. "You like that?"

Yara nodded her head fervently. She tried to steady her breathing as he pumped his finger in and out, teasing her with his movements. She began to grind in tune with his movements, her body filling with pleasure. He crashed his lips onto hers again, giving her a big, wet kiss before he pulled away again.

"More," Yara sighed out when he pulled away. "More, Colby."

He complied easily, slipping another finger into her and curling them, garnering a long list of expletives escaping from her mouth. He used his thumb to start rubbing circles, and that's what _really_ got to her. The sound of his name escaping her mouth in short, gasping breaths made him all the more willing to make her go over the edge.

"You like it when I touch you like that?" his voice was husky as he watched her facial expressions.

Yara could barely nod her head. Her breathing was hot and heavy. He didn't know how much longer she'd last. "Don't stop," she said, biting her lip, "I'm so close."

He leaned forward to kiss her, and with a few more pumps of his fingers and rubbing of his thumb, she came undone. She writhed and shook on top of him, moaning his name over and over again as she rode out her orgasm. When it was clear she was coming down from her high, he pulled his fingers from her, making sure she was watching as he brought them up to his mouth to taste her. She bit her lip to suppress her giggle; surprised he would do something that bold. They kissed tenderly as she began to settle down more. When she pulled away she rested her head on his shoulder, her breathing trying to get back to normal.

"You look so fucking sexy," he whispered. "I love it when you moan my name."

"I love how good you are with your hands."

He smiled, kissing her neck and shoulder tenderly. "You wanna go for brunch tomorrow?" he asked in between the kisses.

"Mhm," Yara mumbled, smiling at the change in conversation. "You seem to be figuring out that the way into my pants is through my stomach."

Colby snorted. He brought her head up to kiss her again. "I just can't get enough of you. I want to see you as much as I can before you have to go back to New York."

"Pick me up at 10:30 and we'll find a brunch place," Yara said, rubbing her thumb along his beard. "And maybe you can drive me to the airport?"

"How about I drive you back to New York so we can have two extra days."

"I wish we could, but we both have work. You across the country."

"Houston isn't that far."

"It's in a different time zone!"

"Okay okay, fine. Let me drive you to the door," Colby offered as Yara dismounted from his lap back into the passenger's seat. He started the car quickly and made his way back to the front doors.

He would have asked if he could come up, but he remembered earlier in the day when he had asked her if she wanted to cancel her reservation and she said no. He didn't think that she'd have changed her opinion, so he refrained from asking. Instead, he leaned over the centre console and gave her another long, tender kiss.

"Goodnight," she mumbled against his lips.

"Goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow."

"10:30."

"10:30."


	8. Looking for a Place to Happen

"You let him _WHAT?!"_

Yara buried her head in her hands, wishing Laura wasn't so loud. She knew she shouldn't have revealed all to her. Yara knew she'd freak out, most especially about her and Colby's rendezvous in the car. "Laura, please."

" _Yara._ "

"You've done it too!"

"Two wrongs don't make a right!"

"I thought you'd be glad that I'm moving on!" Yara defended herself.

"I am! Believe me, I am! But with Colby Lopez? A _wrestler_?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Yara, you've dated politicians' sons. You've dated the son of the head of Conde Nast. You've even dated a hedge fund manager!" Laura began to name off the long list of past boyfriends and dates Yara had had during her time living in New York.

"And where did that lead me?"

Laura sighed heavily, knowing she wasn't getting through to Yara. "Listen Yara, I'm glad that you're moving on – I really am. But I'm not so sure about this Colby guy."

"You need to meet him. I actually think you'll like him a lot."

"Sure," Laura brushed off the comment, "but Yara, listen to me. He has a past."

"I do too," Yara cut her off. "You know, I told him I don't speak to my family. So he knows that already. _He_ was even the one who brought up his scandalous 2015."

"So you two talked about it."

"We did," Yara nodded her head. "Laura, I know what you're thinking, okay? I do. That I'm going to get into the same situation again. But it's not like that with him. He's…different."

" _Ugh!_ Do you realize how _cliché_ you sound right now?" Laura demanded. "You have blinders on. I honestly don't see any of this ending well."

Yara wouldn't have any of it. She kept shaking her head at Laura's comments. Truth be told, she was surprised Laura was so adamantly against her starting something with Colby. Yara thought, for sure, that Laura would want her to move on and start dating and having fun again. It wasn't like Laura to be so critical of one of Yara's love interests – usually she was all for it. Perhaps Laura didn't like the long-distance aspect of the potential relationship? Yara didn't know. It couldn't really be anything against Colby since she hadn't met him and gotten to know him like Yara had. Laura was probably assuming the worst due to all the articles she found on him that she put in that envelope on Yara's desk weeks ago. "How about next time he comes to New York, we all go out for drinks or something. There's bound to be an event we can bring him too where you can't completely grill him for three hours."

"He's coming back to New York?"

Laura could see the smile creep on to Yara's face. "Yeah. I mean, I don't know when exactly, he has to see his schedule, but the next time he has two days off he said he'll fly over here to see me."

Laura sighed, knowing whatever she was saying wasn't getting through to Yara. She could talk and warn Yara until she was blue in the face, but it wouldn't make a difference. Yara was going to go through with it whether Laura liked it or not. "Fine. Fine. Let him come. And let me meet him formally this time. But if this starts to look like the pattern of your previous relationship, I'm sounding the alarm."

"Deal."

XXXXXXXXXX

 _To see future NFL and NBA stars, fans can look to college football, basketball, and the NCAA. Fans of the MLB look to the smaller farm teams for their champions of tomorrow. The WWE has NXT._

 _Unbeknownst to many, the New York area has always been a major hub for professional wrestling events. Vince McMahon, Chairman and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), is considered a legend in Madison Square Garden – one of the only men allowed to park his Bentley in its underground parking lot. Mick Jagger isn't even allowed to do so._

 _In 2013 the WWE opened its Performance Centre in Orlando, Florida – the professional wrestling school of the WWE. See the Performance Centre as the official "farm system" of the WWE. Talent scouts (many former wrestlers themselves, who know exactly how much hard work and dedication goes into being a top performer for the company) scout wrestlers from independent wrestling promotions, other sports leagues such as the NFL, and other areas of interest and sign them to contracts where they train and develop under the watchful eyes of Matt Bloom and Sara Amato, Head Trainers at the Performance Centre, both former successful wrestlers in their own right. If they have the talent, the ability, and "the look", they are successful in NXT, the WWE's developmental show, only available for viewing on the WWE Network._

 _Broadcasting their "farm system" was spearheaded by Paul Levesque, Vince McMahon's son-on-law and the current Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events, and Creative. Buzz began to form around NXT after a particularly successful pay-per-view event (NXT: ArRival), where fans were astounded by the high quality of wrestling and show production. Granted, many wrestlers who lace up their boots in NXT have already wrestled through the independent wrestling circuit for many years, sometimes even decades. But the buzz stayed. And it never went down. Every following NXT pay-per-view special was better than the last. New talent was being developed in front of their very eyes. The fans couldn't get enough. Many fans and critics alike began to prefer the NXT product – developmental, remind you – over what was being broadcast on the company's flagship show, Monday Night Raw._

 _The Performance Centre is generally closed off to the public, since the WWE wants to keep some allure to how exactly they create the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, and The Rock. However, every so often, a group of lucky fans gain access to the Performance Centre, spending a day to see exactly what goes on – how the WWE creates and trains stars for the next Wrestlemania. The day was auctioned off at a recent charity banquet held in the Brookfield Ballroom, where proceeds went to Connor's Cure – a charity Stephanie McMahon-Levesque began after the heartbreaking death of a seven year old fan, Connor "the Crusher" Michalek, from a rare form of paediatric cancer._

 _The group of twenty fans were graced by the presence of one of the WWE's current top Superstars, Seth Rollins. Rollins, owner of the Black and Brave Wrestling Academy based out of Moline, Illinois, is a product of this farm system, and was the inaugural NXT Champion. Now a successful WWE Superstar, he mentors and teaches aspiring young talent in his wrestling school, which he co-owns with his old tag team partner Marek Brave. Any successful students from Black and Brave are undoubtedly put on NXTs radar._

 _The day began with the twenty fans mingling with NXT talent over a light breakfast, the NXT talent sharing stories and insights. Fans were then led to the training area, where five wrestling rings are set up, including a "soft ring" where superstars can practice riskier and more high-flying moves without "landing hard" on a regular mat. Fans even had the opportunity to "cut a promo", aka perform a speech in tune with their character/persona they had thought about earlier in the day. Seth Rollins helped with the "heel" (bad guy) promos, naturally, not particularly with the "babyface" (good guy) promos. Notice the frequent use of quotations? One learns, quite quickly, that the wrestling business has a language all their own._

 _After lunch, fans had the opportunity to call a match with Tom Phillips, one of the lead announcers for NXT, and later participated in superstar entrances and segments. Fans couldn't get enough of what was going on, each new surprise even better than the last. For hardcore fans – and yes, they exist in large numbers – the event was a dream come true. Undoubtedly, everyone left with a new appreciation for the talent of the WWE._

 _So the WWE has a developmental farm system, mirroring what many major league sports leagues already have in place, and it's good. Really, really good – deal with it. Arguably, it's the best decision the WWE has made in years; definitely the best decision the WWE has made to ensure its future is taken care of. There will be no shortage of talent anytime soon, as recent graduates Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, and Dean Ambrose have shown. The next time WWE headlines a sold out Madison Square Garden, an NXT alumni will be headlining the card._

XXXXXXXXXX

"So you flew to Florida for some girl?" Rami asked for clarification from what Claudio had been telling him all day. He'd finally caught up with Colby when he had arrived at the arena, and they were now in catering.

Colby was shocked that Rami even knew. Not that Rami would blabble – he trusted him completely – but now he knew Rami would want to _talk_. Whenever Rami found out something he always wanted to _talk_. "How do you know?"

"Claudio, of course."

Colby rolled his eyes. Now he knew he needed to explain. "Yeah. I went to Florida for a girl."

"What's her name?"

"Yara Ghanbari."

"So you've got yourself a Persian girl," Rami smiled.

"Her parents are from Iran."

"It's the same thing, Colby."

"Oh, okay. I guess you'd know…your people and all."

"They're not Arab, but we're not going to get into that now."

"She's Canadian, you know."

That peaked Rami's interest. "No way! From where?"

"Vancouver."

"Okay, so you've got yourself a keeper then."

Colby chuckled. Being Canadian, Rami always his fellow Canadians in a high regard. "I hope so, Rami."

"So what happened in Florida then? How'd you two even meet?"

"You remember that charity event Stephanie made me go to in New York? For Connor's Cure?" Colby asked. Rami nodded his head. "We were seated next to each other there, and in order to stop that creepy woman who buys the WWE Fan Experiences for her son from buying another one, she bid eight grand."

" _Eight grand?"_

"Mhm. We spent the night wandering the Upper East Side until 5am."

"Anything happen?"

"No. I just kissed her that night. But then last weekend she went down to Orlando and…"

"And?"

Colby shrugged his shoulders, pulling a face. He brought his hand up quickly and flashed Rami two fingers, all while looking away. He didn't want to see Rami's reaction or else he knew he'd burst into a fit of laughter. Rami was innocent and Colby didn't want to spoil that innocence too much.

" _What?!"_ Rami shrieked out in a high-pitched voice. Colby's attempts to not laugh were futile – he burst into a fit of giggles at Rami's reaction.

"Rami, when a man and a woman like each other…" Colby began comically.

"This didn't happen at the Performance Centre did it?!"

"NO! What do you think I am, some kind of sleaze?" Colby asked. Rami gave him a look, as if to say _'Really?'_ "Don't answer that. And no, it did _not_ happen at the Performance Centre. It happened in the car after dinner."

"So you two had dinner."

"Yes."

"Was it nice?"

"Yes."

"Does she know about…well, you know."

"Yes. We discussed it."

"And she's still hanging out with you?"

"I know, right?" Colby asked rhetorically. "I don't really get it either."

"We can try to understand women all day…won't happen," Rami commented.

Colby began to think about how serious Yara was about all of this. It was long established that there were feelings, from both sides – Colby didn't think the rendezvous in the car would have happened if there were doubt from either of them. At the end of the day, Yara was a smart, educated, successful career woman – she didn't need him. She was before she met him, and would continue to be without him. What exactly did she see in him that made her want to stick around?

"So what are you gonna do about this, then?" Rami asked, snapping Colby out of his thoughts.

"I don't know. We'll see how it goes. I don't want to rush anything. I think that would be the worst thing for whatever this is right now."

"If it helps any, I'd love to meet her," Rami smiled. "I mean, if she's gonna be someone important to you, I'd like to meet her. Do you…do you think she's gonna be someone important to you?"

"Yeah…Yeah I do," Colby admitted.

"Okay, great. You should invite her out to a show when we're near New York."

"Yeah, and when's that?"

Rami shrugged his shoulders. "We're in Pittsburgh in a few weeks. Do you think she'd be willing to fly out?"

Colby didn't take long to think about it. He was fairly positive she'd fly out, seeing as she flew to Florida for her prize. "I actually think she would, to be completely honest."

"Alright then, it's settled," Rami smiled. "I can't wait to meet her."

XXXXXXXXXX

Yara was nestling herself into bed when her phone buzzed on her nightstand. She contemplated answering it – if it was James, she definitely wouldn't. If it was Laura, maybe. But she was pleasantly surprised when she saw Colby's name flash across the screen. She smiled to herself before she unlocked her phone. "Hey."

"Hey, I hope it's not too late," Colby's voice was soft. She wondered if he was in his hotel room, ready for bed too.

"No, you're good. I just got into bed."

"Did you watch tonight?"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't. I had a work event."

"It's okay. There's always next week."

"Did you have a good match?"

Colby smiled to himself at the fact that she was taking an interest in professional wrestling now. "Yeah, it was good."

"Are you at your hotel now?"

"No, I'm just about to leave the arena with my friend Rami for the hotel."

"Are you tired?"

"Yeah but I want to talk to you first," he said. He could practically feel her blushing through the phone.

"Oh yeah, about what?"

"Matt called me today – Matt Bloom, from the Performance Centre."

"Mhm."

"He told me you mailed a copy of your article to them."

"I did."

"He loved it."

Yara couldn't help but smile. "Really?"

"Yeah. He was really impressed."

"I tried to do as much research as possible but my deadline was really tight. I think I got everything I needed to get in there, though."

"He liked your little paragraph about Vince being able to park his Bentley in the Madison Square Garden parking lot," Colby said. "Shows you did your research, according to him. Plus any exposure is good exposure."

"Well I'm glad he liked it," Yara said.

"And thanks for name-dropping Black and Brave," Colby chuckled. "I'm sure enrolment from the New York area is going to go through the roof now."

"Shameless promotion for a friend never hurt anybody."

"So listen…um, in about two weeks, I get Wednesday and Thursday off. I know it's an awkward time, since it's the middle of the work week, but um…should…should I book a flight to New York?"

Yara broke out into a full smile – not that Colby could see. "Yeah!" she said, her voice sounding more excited than she wanted it to be. "Yeah, um, you can come out if you want," she tried to say much more calmly. "But wouldn't you want to go back to Dav-"

"I'd rather come to New York right now," Colby admitted. "Don't worry about me, Yara. I'll go home one day."

"Your parents probably miss you."

"My parents have missed me since I started wrestling at 18."

"Well, I'd love to have you here, Colby," Yara said.

"Good. I'll book the flight tomorrow. I can't wait to see you."

"I can't wait to see you, too."

"I'll uh, I'll let you go now. I don't want to keep you up too late. Plus Rami's probably waiting for me," Colby said.

"Alright. Safe travels back to the hotel, okay?"

"It's like a five minute drive away."

"Safe travels," Yara repeated. "Goodbye, and goodnight."

Colby giggled. "Did your article research lead you to New Japan?"

"Huh?"

"Kenny Omega? New Japan Pro Wrestling?"

"Colby what in the world are you talking about? What's a Kenny Omega?"

"Nothing – forget about it – I'm a loser," he huffed, embarrassed. "Goodbye, and good night. Sleep tight."


	9. Boots or Hearts

_Thanks for the follows! Leave a review so I know how you're enjoying the story :)_

XXXXXXXXXX

"Right here should be fine…right here…yup… _okay_ , right here. Thanks," Colby directed the cab driver to stop in front of the particular café Yara gave him the address to. She wasn't able to pick him up from the airport, but she had given him the café so they could meet up for brunch. He hadn't even been to his hotel to check in yet, too eager to see Yara again after their time apart. He paid the driver, giving a generous tip, and got out of the car, his small suitcase trailing behind him.

Once the cab drove away, Colby pulled out his phone and called Yara.

"Hi Colby," she answered on the third ring.

"Hey, I'm here. Are you inside?"

"I'm literally like, ninety seconds away. Maybe even less. I'm trying to run in my heels but it's proving to be very hard."

"Eager beaver, are we?"

"Eager Canadian beaver, yes."

"I don't want you falling or spraining your ankle. Take it easy."

"Nah, I'm good. I like to live dangerously."

"Seriously, Yara. Just do a speed walk."

He kept looking left and right, trying to see which way she was coming from. Sooner rather than later, he saw her walking, phone attached to her ear. When she was close enough and saw him, she smiled widely and hung up her phone, shoving it in her large black purse. Colby didn't know if it was just him, but he saw a spring in her step. Her smile took up almost her entire face. Any passers-by could see she was excited about _something_. He loved that she was excited about _him_.

"Hey you," he said when she was close enough to hear.

She didn't respond with words. Instead, she flung her arms around him and crashed her lips into his. He welcomed this, obviously, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her off the ground. When she pulled away she was smiling again from ear to ear. "Hey," she greeted him finally, her voice breathless.

"That was awesome," Colby admitted before he could realize what he was saying.

"I'm so happy you're here."

"I'm happy I'm here too."

"Are you hungry?"

"They only gave me pretzels on the plane."

Yara's hands moved to grab Colby's. "Let's eat then," she said, leaning in to give him one last quick kiss before pulling him into the restaurant. They were seated almost immediately at one of the window seats overlooking the street. Colby had tucked his small suitcase underneath his chair.

In keeping with his "eat shit, burn it off later in CrossFit" mentality he'd told her about the first night they met, Colby ordered the buttermilk fried chicken and waffles while Yara opted for the stack of blueberry pancakes; he promised her that if she couldn't finish he'd be more than willing to eat the rest for her.

"So I brought a suit, as requested," he began. "What event are we going to tonight?"

"A socialite named Lydia Patterson is launching a new accessories and handbag line in conjunction with Toulou, an up-and-coming designer at his flagship store, and we're going."

Colby gave her a look that made her burst into a fit of giggles. "A handbag launch. Seriously? You made me come all the way to New York for a handbag launch?"

"And accessories!"

" _Yara_."

"Hey! You came willingly! You know the type of stuff I have to do and events I have to go to. It shouldn't come as some big surprise. You can't blame me."

"A handbag launch," he repeated, teasing her. "Alright alright fine, I'll come," he said, as if he had a choice.

"So you'll go."

"I'd go to the opening of an envelope if you asked me to come with you."

Yara couldn't help but blush at his comment. "And you won't complain?"

"That I can't promise. Is there going to be food?"

"No. Just alcohol."

"Can we order Nino's before we leave?"

"Absolutely. Oh! You'll meet Laura there…more formally, this time," Yara informed him.

"That's cool. Hopefully we'll get to talk tonight, then."

As their food was brought to them and conversation flowed at a steady pace, Yara could help but feel happy and content, especially since everything she did with Colby felt so natural. She didn't feel like she had to put on a face, or say certain things just to impress him; she could be herself. Their conversation picked up from wherever it was left off in the text messages, email, or phone conversation they had last. She loved the feeling of being able to connect with someone so quickly, so easily.

After they spoke a bit more about his job, Colby switched subjects to hers. "So all these work events you go to…are they like, taken out of your salary?" Colby asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I assume a lot of them are dinners and stuff, like the charity event," he explained. Yara nodded her head. "I bet those things cost a pretty penny. Do you pay for it out of pocket?"

"Oh God no. Are you kidding? My work covers it all on the expense account. I don't even see the bill."

"I thought so, I just wanted to make sure. I would think it's hard to go to events like that when it's not on a company's dime."

"It is. You wouldn't believe how much a plate costs at those types of events. I don't know how some people do it."

"It can't be _that_ bad. It can't cost more than a plate at a wedding," Colby mused.

"You'd be surprised…it's around the same, actually. I can tell you that in New York, the going rate for plates at any good, reputable venue is around $185 to $200," Yara said.

"What?! No way," Colby didn't believe her.

"I'm serious!"

"Come on Yara, that's ridiculous."

"Colby, it's New York."

"How would you even know?"

"Because I had to plan a wedding," she said, looking down at her plate.

Colby dropped his fork. It felt like all the blood drained from his face. "You're fucking _married?_ " he demanded. Suddenly everything they'd done flashed before his eyes – the kiss, the shameless flirting, _the fingering her in the fucking car_. He never noticed a wedding band. He couldn't believe they'd gone this far and she never mentioned a husband. They were basically having an _affair_ and this point and now _he_ was 'the otherman' instead of 'the other woman' and-

"No, I'm not married," Yara said, void of emotion, shaking her head.

Colby was about to voice his confusion but then it clicked. His mouth gaped open instead, the wheels turning in his head, everything connecting. "So you… you -"

"His name was Connor," Yara explained, knowing Colby would ask anyway. She knew he would want to get to the bottom of it. He pestered her about not speaking to her family; he'd pester her about this. "We were together for about three years, engaged for a year. I found out he didn't want to settle on a date because he was cheating. I found a pair of women's underwear in my bedroom. Classic."

Colby's eyes bulged out of his head. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," Yara nodded her head once. "That's why I know how much a plate at a wedding goes for."

Colby couldn't take it. Here she was – Yara – this entire time he knew her he was looking into the eyes of his former fiancée. She was Leighla by another name. She was the steady, supportive girlfriend, cheated on by the arrogant, take-her-for-granted boyfriend – _him_. He pushed his chair back and bolted upright, stomping out of the restaurant.

"Colby! _Colby!_ " Yara called after him, getting up out of her own seat and following him out of the restaurant. " _Colby!_ Where in the world are you going?!"

He whipped around to face her. "Are you fucking kidding me, Yara? _Are you fucking kidding me?"_

"What?!"

"How can you be so indifferent about this? About me and you? How can you even _stand_ to be around me knowing I did exactly what he did?"

Yara shrugged. "I don't know. You two are just different. I can't help who I fall for, Colby."

"I'm _just_ like your fiancé. You knew. You _knew_ the day after I met you in New York and you _still_ decided to come down to Florida. You _knew_ and you still decided to stick around, and be my fr…whatever _this_ is."

"Yeah, and?"

" _Why?!"_

"Colby, if I hated everyone who was collateral damage in a cheating situation I wouldn't be hanging out with you. I wouldn't be hanging out with _anybody_ ," she deadpanned. "Sometimes people do awful things. I don't think that makes them an awful person."

Colby was breathing heavily. He was trying to process everything, trying to calm himself down, trying to remind himself that she was in this willingly, just like him, and made her own decisions based on the evidence presented to her. He couldn't quite understand why exactly she'd do it – be with someone like him – but here they were. This is where they found themselves.

She approached his cautiously, looking up at him. "Can I kiss you?" she asked, echoing their first night together in New York, where he'd asked her the same question standing on the steps of her apartment.

He didn't answer, for fear of saying something he'd deeply regret in the future, but she didn't wait for him. Slowly, she rose on her tippy-toes to reach his lips, and kissed him softly. He barely kissed her back, taking the time to calm down still.

"Are you going to say something?" she asked softly.

Colby licked his lips. "You're giving me a chance," he said, just above a whisper.

"I am."

"A real, legitimate chance."

"Yes Colby. I think I've made that abundantly clear." She grabbed his hands and intertwined their fingers. "Can we go finish breakfast now? Together?"

How could he say no?

XXXXXXXXXX

Colby knew he wasn't exactly cut out for events like this, but just being present at one affirmed that he _really_ wasn't cut out for events like this. He was already bored. He didn't know what exactly was going on. The few people he talked to probably thought he was a barely functioning human and wondered what planet he came from. Yara tried to remain at his side as much as possible, but when people called her over or she needed to get the scoop on something, he was left alone with alcohol in his hand, or awkwardly standing with Laura.

He still couldn't figure Laura out. She was much nicer than she was at the charity dinner – much more open and willing to commit to a conversation, and not just chastising Yara – but there was something about her that told him they just wouldn't fully click. At least not like he and Yara clicked. She'd asked him a handful of questions while they were alone, questions Colby expected from the best friend of a girl he was seeing: _What do you do? Where are you from? How often do you travel? What do you think of Yara? What do you think about Yara's job? What do you think of New York? Would you move here for her?_ He liked to think he answered them all expertly, as Laura would want them answered, and for the most part she seemed satisfied with his answers. But there was still something off.

As he looked at one of the handbag and statement necklaces on display together, his fourth flute of champagne almost finished, he could overhear Laura and Yara's conversation. They were both trying to be discreet, of course, but Laura was louder than she thought she was.

"I think you're moving too fast," he overheard Laura. "You've been to visit him down in Florida, now he's here for two days, now you're planning to go to Pittsburgh."

"I like him, Laura. I really like him."

"It's too much Yara. _Too much_."

"It's not too much."

"You have blinders on. You're not seeing how incompatible this relationship can be. There's so much distance between you two all the time, it's going to be impossible to make a meaningful connection when you're here and he's all over the world."

"We've already…we've made that connection, despite the distance."

"You really think so?"

"I would think you'd want me to move on after the Connor debacle. I would think you want me to be happy."

"Sweetheart, I _do_ want you to be happy. More than anything. But do you really think you're going to find it in a guy who isn't in the same place for more than two days at a time?"

There was a moment of silence between the two women. _Say something Yara_ , Colby thought. _God damn it Yara, say something!_

"I do," she finally said. "I do think I can find it in him."

"You're not listening to me."

Colby flinched suddenly when he felt a hand on his back. He looked to his left to see Yara smiling at him. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Laura watching them. "You wanna get out of here?" Yara asked.

Colby downed the rest of his champagne flute and placed it atop a waiter's tray as Yara led him out of the store. She hailed a taxi like a pro and slipped into the backseat first, with him following.

"Just a quick one, up to 5th and East 81st Street," Yara told the cab driver.

"Uh, my hotel is down near 60th Street and Park A-"

Colby was politely silenced by Yara's lips on his. She barely pulled away to mumble, "Shut up, Colby," before kissing him again.

XXXXXXXXXX

Yara was lucky the elevator at the back of her building was empty, because she felt ready to explode. Colby's hands were all over her body as they stumbled through the ground floor hallway, eager to touch and feel whatever he could. She was only happy to comply. When they finally got to her apartment, she fiddled with her keys and unlocked her door, Colby's kisses moving to her neck for the short amount of time.

Colby pushed her against the door, his lips all over hers again. Her hands immediately began to work on ridding him of his suit jacket, slipping it off his shoulders. "Come with me," she whispered, dragging him through her apartment to her bedroom, where he whipped her back towards him and kissed her hungrily again, moving his hands to her back to unzip her dress. She began to unbutton his shirt, and when his broad chest and chiselled abs were on full view, she took a moment to take in the sight, sighing to herself.

She could see him smirk. "You like what you see?" he asked.

Yara could only nod her head. She slipped the shirt off his broad shoulders, just like she did his jacket, and slipped out her own dress before Colby picked her up. She wrapped her legs around his torso as he carried her to the bed, laying her down softly.

Colby feasted on Yara laying before him, in nothing but her bra and underwear as he kicked out of his shoes and climbed over her. He kissed her lips, her neck, her clavicle, before moving further down between her breasts, reaching behind her to unclasp her bra. After a little bit of trouble and help from Yara, he slid it off and threw it across the room. He took the time to feast on the sight of her again as they both breathed heavily.

"You like what you see?" Yara giggled, mimicking Colby's earlier question.

"You have no…fucking…idea," Colby breathed out, smirking down at her.

As he continued to kiss her anywhere and everywhere his mouth could go, she worked on his belt and pants, feeling how hard he was through the fabric. She pushed his pants down his hips, and he stood to take them off. He crawled back onto the bed on his knees, lust filling his eyes. He hooked two fingers onto her underwear and pulled them down. She leaned forward, grabbing the elastic band of his boxer-briefs to push his down as well.

"Hold on a sec," Colby said quickly, climbing off the bed once more and picking up his pants. He retrieved his wallet and quickly took out a condom, ripping the foil with his teeth and slipping it on quickly. Yara smiled at his preparedness, wondering just how long he'd been waiting for this.

Climbing back onto the bed, in between Yara's legs, he brought his hand down between them to feel her. She jerked at his touch, apparently already sensitive. "You're already so wet," he breathed out, biting at her lip. "So wet for me."

"Just for you," she whispered, pulling him down and kissing him forcefully.

When Yara felt him push in gently, she leaned her head back and sighed in pleasure. She wondered to herself why she waited so long in the first place; why she didn't just invite him up to her place the night they met. Colby groaned in pleasure too, her warmth surrounding him completely as he developed a steady pace.

"Feel good?"

Yara could only nod her head. Each thrust brought more pleasure and she could feel her orgasm building. She grabbed his face and brought it down to kiss him, moving her hands to his shoulder blades. "I'm…so…close…Colby," she breathed out.

At those words, Colby almost came undone himself. Thrusting harder and faster now, Yara's nails scratched down his back as she moaned his name over and over again, like music to his ears. Her entire body began to shake as she came undone, crying his name out in pleasure. He soon followed, grunting his pleasure out.

At that moment, in New York City on a Wednesday night with Yara under him panting his name, Colby realized there was no other place he'd rather be.


	10. Stay

For the first time in a long time, Colby didn't have a ridiculously early wake-up call, so he could lie in bed and enjoy that Yara's hair miraculously still had its citrus-y scent, even a day later. She had been in his arms practically the entire night as they slept, her body cuddling with his at any opportunity she could get – not that he refused her that pleasure. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he was doing something right in regards to his personal life. He definitely made the right decision coming to New York.

After letting out a contented sigh, he nestled his head into the crook of her neck, kissing where her neck and shoulder met. He could feel Yara move slightly, the sensation of his lips on her bare skin a great wakeup call in the morning. She brought her hand up to his hair before shifting her position in bed, so that instead of her back to his chest, she was now facing him. She smiled faintly at him, seeing his face for the first time since last night. "Good morning."

"Good morning."

"How'd you sleep?"

"Best sleep – and the most sleep – I've had in a long time."

Yara bit her lip, her hand still in his hair. "You want some breakfast?"

"Mmm, I'd love some."

"Let me take a quick shower, then I'll cook something up for you. You like bacon and eggs?"

"My favourite," he smiled, kissing her quickly.

As Yara took her quick shower, he took the opportunity to get out of bed and do some stretching before exploring her apartment. He didn't see any of it last night, as his eyes were focused on Yara and Yara only. The apartment wasn't huge, but it was perfect for a single woman in New York – a one bedroom, plus den, with hardwood floors and nice, big windows. She even had a fireplace, definitely an original feature from when the townhouse was a single dwelling for some rich family and not a set of apartments. The furnishings were very chic and girly, catered perfectly to Yara – a lot of white, some mirrored furniture, and rose gold accents. Her kitchen was white, with Calcutta marble countertops and stainless steel appliances. Colby wondered if she had decorated the apartment herself, or if she bought it as is and added things along the way. She had good taste, that was for sure.

"It's all yours," he heard her voice as she walked out of her bedroom, leaning against the doorframe. Her hair was in a wet, messy bun atop her head, and she wore a pair of yoga shorts underneath her top, which just so happened to be his dress shirt from last night.

He took a deep breath in as he saw her, a smirk making its way onto his face. "You took my shirt," he accused her.

"Does it look good?"

"Looks better on you than it does on me."

"Thought so," she giggled.

"What am I gonna wear?"

"You can go topless," Yara shrugged her shoulders. "Or you've got your undershirt still somewhere in there. Shouldn't be too bad."

Colby sauntered over to her. "You mean you want me to walk around here like some piece of meat?" he asked.

"It wouldn't hurt."

Colby puckered his lips, trying to not make himself smile at Yara's boldness. He brought his hand up to her chin, cupping it softly. "You're stepping into dangerous territory."

"Am I?"

He leaned forward, his lips grazing hers slightly. "Two can play at that game, Ms. Ghanbari," he said, his last words before he pulled back walking into the bedroom, and closing the door. Yara had to regain her composure before she could continue whatever it is she had to do.

As Colby showered, Yara prepared the bacon and eggs, humming to herself. She was happy that she had found someone like Colby; someone she could have fun with, joke around with, have amazingly great sex with. It had been eight months since her break-up with Connor, and Colby couldn't have came at a better time. For the first few months after the breakup she was definitely not herself; she cried a lot, didn't go out much unless it was for work, and generally kept to herself, wondering what it was about _her_ that made him want to cheat on her. That began to change when she finally began to realize that there was nothing wrong with _her_ – it was Connor that was the problem. Once she had come to that realization, she started to feel like her old self. She started to go out more with Laura, flirt with cute guys at bars, and be more social again. Just as she was hitting her stride, feeling more confident than ever, Colby had come into her life. She wasn't quite sure if it was fate, but she knew she was happy.

"That smells delicious," she heard his voice from the doorway to her bedroom. She looked over to see him in the doorframe, his chest glistening with droplets of water, with nothing on but a towel hung dangerously low around his waist.

She gulped and looked away. It wasn't just the stove that was getting her hot. "Uh, yeah, thanks…I can cook a mean bacon and eggs, let me tell you."

"I'm sure you can," Colby smirked. "They almost ready?"

"Yup, just…just have to plate 'em," Yara said, unable to focus. She shut off both burners and picked up the pan with the bacon, putting a little bit more on Colby's plate that she did on hers. "Two eggs okay?" she called out.

"Two eggs is great," she heard his voice right behind her, low and sultry. His hands immediately went to her hips, pulling her body flush with his. His lips attached to her neck and began kissing her sensitive skin.

"Oh, Colby," she breathed out, his hands exploring her body just as they were last night. Cupping a breast with one hand, and the other dangerously close to her centre, she felt like putty in his arms.

With her eyes closed, Yara didn't see where Colby's hand was going after he let go of her breast. She was expecting it to be placed elsewhere – her hips again, on her neck, on the curve of her ass – she most definitely didn't expect to hear a loud crunch right near her ear, right where Colby had been kissing her. She opened her eyes and spun around, only to see Colby chewing on a piece of bacon she had just fried, a smug look on his face. "This is some great bacon," he said, biting into it again.

"You… _you!_ " Yara couldn't find the words as she smacked Colby on the chest. He began to cackle at her. "I can't believe you!"

"You didn't want to play nice," he shrugged his shoulders. "I told you two could play at that game."

Yara scrunched her face up at him. "Go put some clothes on while I plate your eggs you giant goof. No shirt, no service."

Colby returned to her room to change into his undershirt and boxer briefs. When he came out again, Yara was just sitting down at the table with two glasses of orange juice. He sat opposite her and they began to eat in content silence.

"You have a beautiful place," Colby commented. "Very Carrie Bradshaw."

"Thanks. It cost a pretty penny but I'm glad it's mine."

"A place as nice as this on the Upper East Side in New York? Yeah, I'd guess this cost you a pretty penny, maybe even a whole dime," Colby commented.

"1.274, since you're such a nosey parker."

"That's a whole dime alright."

"Being part of the New York Social's payroll has its perks."

Colby knew writers could make a decent amount of change – and since Yara was so good at her job, she probably made that decent amount of change – but he still wondered how the whole living arrangement came to be. Truth be told, she lived a pretty extravagant lifestyle, what with going out to parties and launches all the time, having a very nice wardrobe, and everything else. He knew some of it was covered by the New York Social, but what about the rest?

As they finished breakfast, they both went back into her bedroom to change, Yara promising him they'd go to his hotel so he could change ( _as if_ he was going to wear a suit for the entire day) and cancel the reservation for that night so he could stay over again. When Yara opened the door to her walk-in closet, Colby took a peek inside, finding a shoe rack full of expensive looking shoes, many with the famous red sole of Christian Louboutin. On another wall were about four handbags, each looking more expensive than the last. Nevermind the racks of clothes that hung on either side of the walls, which Yara was currently sifting through to find her outfit for the day. If everything in that closet was added up, it would probably be worth more than his salary.

Sitting on the couch, buttoning his cuffs, Yara walked out of the closet in a simple t-shirt and jeans. Her hair was still in a messy bun from after her shower – Colby expected her to brush it soon enough.

"You're gonna need to help me with something," he said.

"What?"

"I don't get it."

"You don't get what?"

"I understand that you're a writer, a good one, and that you get a lot of bonuses for all those exclusives you get, but I still don't know how you can afford something like this? And all that?" he asked, pointing to her closet.

Yara sighed. "You really are a nosey parker, aren't you?"

"I'm just trying to understand Yara. I get you're a successful businesswoman but _my_ place isn't even this nice, and I make a decent cheque too."

"My ex-fiancé came from a very well-to-do family with a lot of money. He bought this place right before we broke up. He put it under my name though," she explained. "I think he thought that I would write something about him that would smear him – he wants to run for public office one day – but I would never do something like that. So this…I guess it's kind of like a hush gift."

 _Only rich people from New York would buy the woman they're cheating on an entire apartment as a hush present_ , Colby thought. "Well, he's a pretty generous guy, I'll give him that," he commented. "Despite assuming the worst about you…thinking you'd do something like that."

"I don't blame him. It's not out of the realm of possibility," Yara said quietly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Yara sighed, knowing she'd have to be honest with him. "I once broke a story of a politician cheating on his wife. The ensuing divorce got extremely, _extremely_ messy because of it. I got a good payday after that one. I guess that's what made him scared."

Colby was horrified. He couldn't believe Yara would let something like that go to print, let alone with her name on it. "You're ruthless."

"I was doing my job, Colby."

"That's not the point," he said more harshly than intended. "So if you knew me three years ago and found out before my fiancée, would you have broken the story and told the world I was cheating on her?"

"Honestly?"

"Honestly."

"No. Because as popular as you are you don't have a lot of power outside your work environment. Politicians and bankers do. I wouldn't think twice about publishing a hedge fund manager's alimony payments, but I'd hesitate to publish something about you ruining yours and your fiancée's life."

"Jesus _fuck_ , Yara."

"You told me to be honest!"

"I know, but I didn't think I'd hear _that_."

Yara was indignant. She knew going in that this wasn't going to be an easy conversation to have, but it was proving to be harder than she thought. She could feel the tide shifting against her; she could feel Colby's disgust with her. "Well you did. What exactly can't you believe? That you're not popular enough to write about and sell magazines or the fact that with every word I print I can ruin a person's life?"

"The latter."

"I thought so," Yara said, shaking her head as she walked towards her bedroom door.

"Where are you going?" Colby asked.

"Somewhere not near you. I obviously repulse you," she shot back at him.

"Yara, you're in your own apartment for Christ's sake."

She whipped around angrily to face him. "I never said I was proud of what I do. I don't even particularly like it. But it pays the bills in New York. And at least _I_ wasn't the _cheater_. I was the one dealing with the fallout while Connor fucked off to Connecticut to escape the drama and not have to face me."

Colby stood up from the bed and went after her. She couldn't exactly go far, so he knew it was a lost cause for her to run away from him and their conversation. "Yara, come on," he said casually, catching up to her easily.

"No."

"Yara, come _on_ ," Colby snaked his arms around her waist and lifted her up, carrying her back towards her bedroom.

"No! You're disgusted by me."

"Yara, I'm not disgusted by you."

"You can just say it Colby, you don't have to lie or pretend."

" _I'm not disgusted by you_ ," Colby said sternly, setting her down. "The _last_ thing you do is disgust me, alright?"

"I'm not a likeable person, okay? I get that. A lot of people around New York don't like me cause they think I try too hard, or I'm too flirty, or whatever."

"Yara, I like you."

"I mean, hell, my own fiancé didn't like me enough to stay with me. My own _family_ didn't like me enough to even care about me or stop me from leaving -"

" _YARA_ ," Colby said loudly, interrupting her from her verbal diarrhoea thought process. "I like you Yara. Just the way you are."

She looked at him like he had two heads. "You do?"

"I'm here, aren't I?" he asked rhetorically. "Come on, Yara. Tell me what's going on in that head of yours."

"Too damn much," she sighed, climbing into her bed, Colby following immediately after her. She lay on her back in the middle of the bed, looking up at the ceiling, while Colby lay on his side, propping himself up on one elbow so he could look down at her. "I'm sorry for the verbal diarrhoea," Yara said. "Sometimes I just can't help it."

"You don't need to apologize," he said. "Do you want to talk about your family?"

"What's there to talk about?"

"Well…what are they like?"

"I don't know, I haven't spoken to them in like, ten years."

"Okay, but when you knew them…when you lived with them."

Yara shrugged her shoulders, turning slightly to face Colby and look him in the eye. She figured she owed him at least that. "They weren't nice people. That's why I left."

"So did you like…run away?" Colby asked.

"In a way. I had been threatening it for a very long time because my situation at home was getting worse. I mean, looking back now, it was always bad, but the older you get, the more you realize it, you know? So when I just couldn't take it anymore, I left."

"What made you leave?"

"A variety of things…my older sister, Rana, I'm convinced she has narcissistic personality disorder. She was mean to me my entire life, just a horrible person. When you're young you can just kind of brush it off but as a teenager it was the worst form of psychological torture."

"What about Naveed?"

"Naveed was always an angel. He was my twin. He loved me more than anyone in my family. The only reason I stayed was because he was still living at home too."

"And your parents?"

Yara shook her head. "I was just the extra daughter to them. I didn't matter. Everything I did was wrong…everything I did was never good enough. I could never compare to Rana."

"They ever hit you?" Colby asked.

Yara stayed silent. She looked past Colby, at the wall, at nothing in particular, trying to avoid the answer, but knowing that for every second she didn't say anything, she was giving him the answer. "Uh…"

Colby truly didn't know what to expect when he asked the question. Truth be told, he'd never met anyone who had been abused before, and Yara's silence was incriminating. "Yara…"

"I mean…it wasn't _bad_ …it was more so when I was young…like, slaps across the face when they told me not to do something and I did it anyway, or like…"

"You don't need to defend your parents beating you," Colby said.

"But they didn't! They didn't _beat_ me. And it stopped, for the most part, when I was a teenager. It wasn't as bad anymore, or as frequent."

"Did they hit Rana too?" he asked.

" _Never_ ," Yara shook her head. "She always did what she was told. She was a saint before she developed her narcissism. Thinking about it now, what was happening to me probably cemented the idea that she was better than me."

"That's awful," Colby shook his head. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Yara shrugged her shoulders. "You don't need to apologize or be sorry. It's not the biggest deal."

"The fact that your parents hit you is a big deal, Yara."

Yara shifted uncomfortably on the bed closer to Colby. She tucked her head into the crook of his neck as he wrapped an arm protectively around her. "You know, that's the first time anyone's said that to me."

"Really?"

"Well, because I haven't really told anyone," Yara revealed. "So uh…thank you for listening."

Colby placed a chaste kiss on top of her head. "I'm here any time you want to talk about it, okay? You can tell me things."

Yara knew Colby meant what he said. He wouldn't be lying with her on her bed in a suit if he weren't invested in what she had to say. "Colby?"

"Mhm?"

"Can we…can you just lie here with me and hold me for a bit before we start our day?"

"Like you even needed to ask."


	11. Now For Plan A

When Yara landed in Pittsburgh, she knew she'd have to haul a taxi to the Consol Energy Arena to meet Colby for Monday Night Raw. She didn't know what exactly to expect when she got to the arena, or what would happen during the show; all she knew was that it was live, and Colby would probably have a match against somebody ("I'll make sure it's against a friend so he can make me look good," he joked). Slightly nervous and half-wondering if she was too dressed up again, like she was at the Performance Centre, Yara headed to Monday Night Raw.

When the cab dropped her off, she was immediately on the phone with Colby. He answered on at least the seventh ring. "Hey you. Are you here?"

"Yup."

"Which entrance? I'm gonna have to come get you."

"Uhhhhh…" Yara looked around at her surroundings, trying to find the gate number. "The cabbie dropped me off right at the front, if that helps."

"So like gate one?"

"I would assume so."

"Alright, stay there. I'm coming for you."

Yara was impatient as she waited the almost ten minutes for Colby to come get her. Various others had gone in through the doors, past the security that eyed her suspiciously, but she was still standing outside. She wondered if any of the people walking past her were Colby's fellow wrestlers, if they'd recognize her once she was inside.

Colby finally arrived, wearing a Tapout shirt and workout tights. He had a lanyard hanging from his hand as he opened the door, holding it open with his foot. "Get over here, sexy."

"Don't start."

"Why not?"

"Not here! Not in front of your co-workers."

"There's nobody around!"

Yara relented, giving him a quick kiss on the lips as she stood in the open doorway. Colby stayed slightly bent, signalling he wanted more, but Yara didn't give him what we wanted. "You don't have to be nervous, Yara."

"Really? What makes you think that?" she asked sarcastically. "I don't want to make you look unprofessional."

"Please, _you_ are not going to make me look unprofessional. To be perfectly honest you class the place up, so if anything it'll make me look more professional."

"I don't believe that."

"Come on, let's just go inside," Colby grabbed her hand. "You're going to near to wear this, just so people know who you are," he dangled the lanyard in front of her.

She quickly put it around her neck and followed Colby into the building, her hand in his. "Where are we going to go first?" she asked him.

"Uhhh…depends. Are you hungry or can you wait?"

"It doesn't really matter to me."

"Okay…let's go find some of my friends first, then we can go down to catering together."

In no time at all Colby had knocked on a door, waiting for it to be opened. A tall, muscular, bald-headed man opened the door. "You're back."

"I'm back."

"And you brought a guest."

"Sure did."

The bald man opened the door wider to let them in. There was another man sitting in the corner, tall and ginger, who noticed them come in. "Hey," he smiled as he saw them. He stood up from his chair politely, walking over to them and extending his hand. "You must be Yara."

"The one and only."

"I'm Rami, it's so nice to meet you! Colby's told me about you."

"Good things, I hope."

"The best things," Rami smiled.

"And I'm Claudio," the bald man said from behind her, extending his own hand so she could shake it as well. "It's great that you could come to Pittsburgh."

"Oh, well, you know…it's just a hop, skip, and jump away from New York City," Yara smiled. "I'm really happy I could make it."

"We're happy you could make it too!" Rami exclaimed. "Here, come sit down. Come, come, take my seat, come. Colby and I were discussing our match tonight before you called," Rami led Yara to the chair he had been sitting on. She sat in it, Rami disappearing briefly to get other chairs from behind the room's partition. With no table in between them to act as a buffer, Yara thought this would resemble a séance.

"Colby tell us you're a writer," Claudio began.

"Yeah, I'm a writer for this magazine and website called the New York Social. We cover events in New York and the Hamptons," Yara smiled shyly.

"What kind of events?"

"Oh, mostly charity events, launches, that sort of stuff. That's where Colby and I met," she said, looking over at him.

"Oooh that's right! Are you the one who bought the WWE Experience for the Performance Centre?" Claudio asked.

Yara smiled. It was the oldest trick in the book – bring up something you know for a fact, but frame it as a question, so the person answering gives you even more information. She used it all the time in her line of work – _all the time_. Rami and Claudio thought they were such great actors, but Yara knew that they knew every single detail about her. What she did for a living, where she lived, that she was really from Vancouver. They were _guys_ , after all, and guys weren't that much different from girls, especially when they get started talking about the women in their lives. "Yup, that's me."

"How did you like it?"

"Oh, it was great. Matt and Sara are amazing. Colby made me…" she drew a blank. "What's the saying again?" she asked, looking at him.

"Cut a promo," he filled in the blank.

"Right! He made me cut a promo, which was terrifying, but everything else was great."

"I'd like to see that promo," Claudio quipped.

"No, you really don't."

"Are you sure? There's probably a lot of untapped potential in there."

"I'm positive, but thanks for having so much faith in me."

As the four continued to talk, their stomachs eventually began to grumble, and an executive decision was made (by Rami) to head to catering. Along the way, they ran into a few more of Colby's colleagues – a woman by the name of Pamela who had a high side-ponytail and a headband with a giant bow, and a man named Kevin, who seemed particularly close with Rami. As they approached a free table, Yara felt a buzz in her pocket. She volunteered to stay back at the table, so she could read it, while the others grabbed their food.

 _U ended up going to Pittsburgh. Can't believe u!_

Yara sighed reading the text message from Laura. She just wouldn't quit. She typed a short reply – _'Told you I was going. Don't know why you're so surprised.'_

"Are you having a good time so far?" Claudio's voice startled Yara for a moment – she thought he'd gone to get food. Instead he sat right across from her.

"Yeah! It's been fun. You and Rami are great. I can't wait for the show to start," she said.

"You know, you must like him a lot to fly to Pittsburgh to see him," Claudio smiled, cutting right to the chase. There was no need to meander around the elephant in the room.

"I do like him a lot," Yara confirmed quietly. "I think he's great."

"That's good. Cause he really likes you too. He won't shut up about you."

Yara couldn't help but smile. "Likewise. My best friend complains he's all I talk about."

"And you know about his 2015?"

That came out of left field. "Yeah, I do."

"And?"

Yara took a second to make sure what she said came out right. No doubt Claudio would be judging her, or reporting back to Rami, or Colby, or both. "Cheating is unforgiveable in a relationship but I don't necessarily think someone's a bad person because of it. There's always a story, always a reason."

"That's a pretty diplomatic answer."

"It has to be," Yara said. "I've been on the receiving end of my fiancé cheating on me."

Claudio's eyebrows rose in shock. "And you're hanging out with Colby?"

"I know. You don't have to say it."

"Does he know?"

"He does. I almost regret telling him because it made him feel like he had to do some sort of penance."

"Penance?"

"Like, he almost felt the need to make it up to me, even though he wasn't the one who cheated on me," Yara explained. "He thought that simply _existing_ in my life was hurting me in some way."

"But it doesn't."

"Of course not. He's done his time. He has those pictures all over the internet for the rest of his life. That's punishment enough."

"Do you see it lasting long term, despite everything?" Claudio asked, noticing Colby and Rami making their way back from the buffet.

Yara didn't have to think long for the answer to that question. "I do. I really do."

"So Rami has graciously decided to teach you about wrestling tonight since I have to do a few backstage segments and won't be around much," Colby said as he and Rami approached the table again, setting their plates of food down. "You're lucky, Yara. You're gonna be learning from the best."

"Awww shucks," Rami said, waving off Colby's comment comedically as Yara smiled at him. "You guys should probably go get your food – especially you, Yara. You don't want to go after all the wrestlers have gone, you'll end up with one potato and maybe some veggies, if you're lucky."

After Yara grabbed some food with Claudio, she noticed more people joined them at their table – Pamela and Kevin, from before, and a new face: a beautiful bubbly blonde. Yara brought her plate over and set it on the table beside Colby, since the seat beside him was left empty.

"Yara, this is Danielle," Colby introduced them immediately, since they were now sitting beside each other. "Danielle, this is Yara."

"It's really nice to meet you," Danielle smiled, shaking Yara's hand. "Rami said you live in New York?"

"Yeah, near 5th and east 81st," Yara replied.

"Manhattan digs? Nice! I grew up in Manhasset."

"Oh!" Yara exclaimed happily. "I love Manhasset. I had a friend whose family is from there."

"Not as nice as Manhattan though," Danielle laughed.

"Do you still live there?"

"No, I live in Chicago now. Which is how I became friends with that loser," she smiled, nodding her head towards Colby, making Yara giggle.

"Hey! Come on now. Who ran drills with you in FCW?" Danielle's answer was to roll her eyes. "Daniieeeellllle, I'm waaaaiiitiiiinng."

"Shut up, Colby."

Most of the conversation continued like this, friendly banter between the wrestlers, with Yara understanding only about half of what they were saying. From the offset, she had no idea what FCW was and was too afraid to ask. It snowballed from there. Despite this, Yara was content with just listening, inputting every so often when it was neutral enough for her to do so. She was entertained by their stories and how animated they were. She began to find herself wondering how long Colby had known them for, and how many other wrestlers he had trained besides Danielle.

True to his word, after he changed into his ring gear, Rami sat with Yara near a monitor and explained the ins and outs of wrestling to her. She felt like she needed a notebook; she felt like she was learning a new language, or in her first year of university, and needed to take notes. Rami told her about heels and babyfaces (which she had learned to write her article); about the 'independents', where he and Colby spent many years, and the various names of the promotions and why they were great or horrible; about 'kayfabe', and how Colby's character in kayfabe was a giant asshole; about Colby in Florida Championship Wrestling (that was FCW!), how he was the inaugural NXT Champion, and how he got "called up" with the Shield, which was a sort of faction, as Yara understood it. There was no doubt Rami had an encyclopaedic knowledge of wrestling, and Yara was all the better for it.

When Monday Night Raw was over, Claudio found Yara and led her to the corridor where one of the men's locker rooms was, popping his head in to tell Colby that she was waiting outside. A lot of different faces went in and out of the room, all while she stood awkwardly about 15 feet away, waiting. As she waited, she took out her phone again to see if Laura had texted her anything else.

 _Yankee player is here. Could have used you tonight._

 _He's seriously hitting on me right now…after everything!_

 _What a dick!_

 _How was the wrestling show?_

 _Did you meet any of his friends?_

"There you are," she heard Colby's voice as he emerged from the locker room, a small suitcase trailing behind him. He had showered, his long hair up in a messy bun, and he wore black pants, one of his t-shirts, and a sports jacket. "Sorry I took so long."

"That's alright," Yara said quietly, happy that he was here.

He approached her and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a strong hug. "How was Rami?"

"He's like an encyclopaedia."

"Isn't he nuts?"

Yara giggled. "A little bit, but in a loveable way. He reminds me of Kramer."

"That's not the first time I've heard that, surprisingly," Colby said, looking down at her. He gave her a quick kiss but it left her wanting more. "Listen…some of the guys are planning to convene for drinks at a bar down the street from the hotel. Do you want to join or-"

Colby wasn't able to finish his sentence with Yara kissing him, almost immediately sticking her tongue down his throat, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. When she pulled back, she shook her head no. "I just want you to bring me back to the hotel."

"Thought so."

XXXXXXXXXX

Despite the obvious insinuation of Yara's "I just want you to bring me back to the hotel", she almost immediately fell asleep in the car, truly showing her fatigue. He knew she had worked earlier that day before her flight, so it was all catching up to her. It was already just past midnight and Colby didn't want to make her do anything. It had been a while since they had seen each other but he invited her to Raw with no pretences – it was more so of a 'come meet my friends, see what I do for a living' rather than 'come to X city and hook up with me' sort of invitation.

Yara only woke up when Colby shook her, after he had parked in the back parking lot, close to the door. He gathered their bags from the trunk and they walked inside, taking the elevator up to the 10th floor.

"Did you have fun tonight?" he asked quietly as they waited for the elevator to reach their destination.

"I did. I learned so much."

"Thanks for flying out. It uh…it means a lot to me that you're here."

Yara gave him a sleepy smile before she lifted herself off from leaning against the elevator wall. She brought her lips to his, giving him a kiss. "It means a lot to me that you invited me," she said after she pulled away slightly. "But I have a feeling we're going to be doing a lot of this in the future."

A shiver went up Colby's back as she said those words. Yara didn't seem to notice as she cradled her head on his chest, but now Colby was alert, completely wide away, mulling those words over and over again in his mind.

It stopped – kind of, not really – when Yara began kissing him again inside their hotel room. The kisses were unlike last time, when they were fervent, impassioned, rushed; instead they were slow, tender, and loving. They collapsed onto the bed together, eventually lying side by side as they kept kissing, Yara's right leg hooked over Colby's body.

When Colby rolled Yara over so she was on her back, he left a trail of kisses down her neck and collarbone, moving towards her chest. She sighed, savouring the feeling of his lips against her skin. "I can't get enough of you," she mumbled.

Colby looked up at her; her eyes were closed and she was biting her lip, smiling slightly. "Yara," Colby said, before he could realize what he was saying. "We need to talk."

Yara didn't immediately stiffen. Those were probably the four scariest words in the English language when put together, and she didn't even blink an eye. He moved up so their faces were close and she gave him one last tender kiss. "About what?"

"Are you my girl?"

Yara couldn't help but smile and giggle slightly at his choice of words. She was pretty sure a boy who wanted to date her while in high school used those exact words. "Colby, are we in high school?"

Almost immediately, she regretted saying those words. She could see Colby get frustrated, the conversation now due to take a complete 180-degree turn. "Well excuse me for wanting to make things official," he growled, getting off her and moving to the other side of the bed.

"Colby, I didn't mean it like th-"

"Sure, sure."

" _Colby_."

"You got a lot of nerve, you know? Sticking your tongue down my throat and asking me to bring you back to the hotel," he said. "And then you pull this."

"I'm so-"

"You _know_ I like you, Yara. You _know_ I want to be with you."

"I know you do, Colby."

"Then what's the problem? Don't tell me it has something to do with Connor because you were plenty okay with me fingering you in a car and us being together after that God-awful handbag event."

"It has nothing to do with Connor," Yara said. "You know how I feel about you too. You know I like you a lot."

"Then I'm gonna ask you one more time – are you my girl or not?"

" _Of course_ I'm your girl, Colby. _Of course_."

Two words. All it took was two words.


	12. Now the Struggle Has a Name

"Are…are those running tights?"

"Oh my God, stop it."

"I didn't even know you owned a pair of non-tailored pants."

"Seriously, shut it!"

"Is that a hoodie?!"

"Coooooollbbyyyyy," Yara whined, practically head-butting him as she found herself in his arms. "Stop making fun of me."

"I'm not making fun of you! I'm just genuinely surprised."

"They're Lululemon."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you."

Colby had been waiting for his _girlfriend_ – he couldn't stop saying that word to himself since it happened – in the middle of the Baltimore Airport. It had been a few weeks since they had last seen each other, but this weekend he had a two house shows in Baltimore and Annapolis, then Raw in Washington DC, so he had invited Yara to join him for the entire weekend. She agreed to come, taking the time off work to fly the short flight from New York to Baltimore. Now, they found themselves together for the first time in weeks. Colby would be lying if he said he didn't feel the electricity between them the second he hugged her. "I missed you," he said, kissing her deeply.

"I missed you too," she said once he pulled away, a smile on her face.

"Seriously, where are your pants?"

Yara snorted as she pushed Colby away from her. "If we're gonna be travelling the entire weekend I want to be comfortable!"

"The drive to Annapolis from here is like forty minutes, an hour at most."

"Are you joking?"

"And then DC is like another forty minutes from there."

"Oh my _God_ Colby, you had me thinking we'd be in the car for like four hours at a time!"

"You couldn't look at a map?"

"Hey…you better watch your mouth," Yara pointed at him comedically. She grabbed her suitcase handle behind her. "Should we get going?"

"We're in no rush, since the drive is only forty minutes," Colby smirked. "Besides…I've parked in the uh…shall we say…barren west parking garage."

Yara knew exactly what he was insinuating. She'd been thinking about his insinuation since she boarded her flight. "We should _really_ get going then."

After a quick…re-acquaintance in the car, Colby and Yara began their road trip. Yara had never been to Baltimore before, or Annapolis, but Colby convinced her there wasn't much to see. Both days, after checking into their hotel room and showering, they decided to take a walk around the downtown core of both cities, having a taxi drop them off. Both cities were pretty charming to Yara, although Colby had more of a 'been there, done that' mentality. Between traveling in his "indie" days and traveling with WWE, he bragged that he had seen virtually every little nook and cranny of the United States.

At the house shows, she mainly hung out with Danielle – who, Yara learned, was recuperating from a neck injury. Despite that, she still traveled with the company every so often, mostly because she found it too lonely to stay at home in Chicago or in Orlando, where she was doing her physiotherapy. They talked a lot about the plight of the WWE women's wrestlers throughout the years, but that things were changing for the better, slowly but surely. Even though Danielle was somewhat left behind in the recent "Divas Revolution", she was optimistic about her future.

And as always, back at the hotel rooms they stayed in, Yara and Colby couldn't take their hands off each other. Now that they were official, every kiss, every touch, every caress meant something more. He spoiled her completely with everything he did, and when he went down on her, Yara could swear she saw stars. The distance between them meant that this level of intimacy was few and far in between, so both knew they had to take advantage of whatever time they had together.

XXXXXXXXXX

Rami just _had_ to open his big mouth.

Colby was excited to just take Yara back to the hotel after Raw, but earlier in catering, Rami had mentioned that some of the guys were going out for drinks, and he asked her if she wanted to join. Before Colby could deny him, Yara readily agreed. Colby being tired after Raw wasn't the problem – the problem was that he had less than 24 hours left with her, and all he wanted to do was ravage her in bed one last time. He had three whole days with her but that still wasn't enough for him.

As they waited with Claudio for Rami to bring his car around, Colby took Yara aside for a moment when Claudio took a phone call. "You don't have to go out if you don't want to," he said, hoping it would sway her.

"I want to."

"Really?"

"Yeah! I mean, the last time I came they invited us out for drinks too and we didn't go. I don't want them to keep getting the impression that I'm taking you away from them and not letting you have fun."

"Don't think like that. They don't think like that at all. If their girls were on the road with them they'd be doing the exact same thing."

"Okay…but I still want to go. It'll give me a chance to get to know everyone better."

"You're sure."

"Positive."

As if on cue, Rami's car pulled up. "Alright then, let's go."

XXXXXXXXXX

Yara was introduced to everyone by a mixture of Colby and Rami. There was Danielle, whom she already met, plus Stephen, Austin, E, Eric, and Will. Even though nobody was drinking with the intent of getting shit-faced, Stephen made a big deal about everybody getting a drink. He even opened a tab on his credit card, handing out beers and mixed drinks to everyone. As she talked and interacted with everyone, she could understand why some wrestlers liked to unwind like this, despite having just worked a gruelling three-hour live show. They were on the road constantly, away from their families and loved ones – the only people they had were each other. She began to realize just how much these trips out to see him really meant to Colby.

Despite not wanting to come initially, Colby seemed to be enjoying himself. He was talking and joking with everyone, telling Yara hilarious road stories and about trouble they had gotten into. He downed beer after beer, getting louder and more explicit with each drink. Then came the whispers in her ear; the things he obviously didn't want anyone to hear. The _'I want to rip those clothes off of you right now'_ ; the _'I want to fuck you so bad'_ ; the _'I want you screaming my name so loud the people in the other rooms hear you'_. It made Yara blush and all hot and bothered, that was for sure. Even though he was tipsy – by this point probably drunk – he knew exactly what he was doing to her when he said those words. He knew she would be affected.

Colby watched as Yara spoke with Danielle, the only other woman in the entire group. They seemed to get along really well, which was nice because Colby had always liked Danielle. He saw Rami approach him, holding two glasses of water. Rami handed one to him as he started to drink his own.

"What do you think?" Colby asked.

"About what?"

"Yara."

"What do you care what I think?"

Colby rolled his eyes. "Come on, Rami. What do you think?"

"Honestly?"

"Yeah."

"I think she's fantastic."

Colby nodded his head understandingly. "She's too good for me. She's out of my league."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far. You guys make a great couple and -"

"Nah, you don't have to sugar coat it. She's way too good for me."

"Well, she obviously sees something in you that she likes," Rami said, shrugging his shoulders. "She's got a lot going for herself. You have to make sure you add value to her life, you know? Make sure you're making her life great."

Colby gulped some of his water and continued to watch Yara as she laughed along with Danielle. What Rami just told him was easier said than done. He didn't know how he would be able to enrich her life and make it greater than it already was, especially with all his traveling. He thought he was doing a good job so far, but that could be up for debate.

"Stephen seems to really like her," Rami's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "I think the more he drinks the more he forgets she's with you."

"If he tries to pull anything -"

"Oh come on Colby. He won't do shit. He tried to pull some Irish charm out of him but it wasn't working on her."

"He better fuckin' watch it."

" _Relax_ , Colby. It's not like she'd do anything either when she's head over heels for you."

Colby grumbled to himself. Stephen was speaking with Austin, nowhere even near Yara, but he still grumbled. Before long, Eric approached them too, a beer in his hand. "You got quite the girl," he said to Colby, a smile on his face.

"Thanks."

"Where'd you meet her? She was saying something about a charity event in New York?"

"Yeah."

"Well, she's the complete opposite of Zahra, which is fuckin' fantastic," Eric commented, turning around to take a quick look at her. "Seriously, it's a breath of fresh air. You've got yourself a good girl, you know? Got a good head on her shoulders. Very unlike the other girls you've dated."

"I know, she's too good for me," Colby reiterated.

"Yeah, I'd say so," Eric joked, slapping Colby on the shoulder for good measure. "I don't know what she sees in you."

"Believe me, I have no idea either," Colby shook his head, taking another gulp of water. He looked past Eric to see Yara still having fun talking with Danielle. "She's something else, that's for sure."

When it got time to call it a night, everybody began co-ordinating their rides back to the hotel. Yara had gone to the bathroom, leaving Colby to figure out the ride situation with his fellow wrestlers. Colby didn't say much – the water helped, but he was still feeling the effect of the alcohol – so he just went along with whatever he was told. When Yara re-emerged, she met them all outside, wrapping her arm around Colby's waist. He bent down to kiss her quickly as they waited together.

"How are you feeling, princess?" she asked, knowing he was pretty tipsy.

"I'll be fine."

"No hangover tomorrow morning?"

"Can't promise that. How about you?"

"I only had one drink."

"Seriously?"

"Mhm. I want to remember everything, not be that crazy drunk chick Colby brought to DC that one time."

Rami watched their interaction, smiling to himself. Never mind what he said earlier, about Yara being head over heels for Colby – Colby was equally, if not more, head over heels for Yara. It was cute to watch, and filled him with happiness, if only because Colby was one of his best friends and he wanted to see his best friend happy.

"So how are we getting back to the hotel?" Yara asked.

"Rami's got his car, bringing people home. We're going with Stephen," he said, nodding his head to where Stephen pulled up in his giant rented SUV.

Yara's body immediately stiffened when she heard Stephen would be driving. "I think I saw him drink a few beers though…should he really be driving?" Yara asked, hoping that pointing out the obvious would mean someone would intervene.

"We're over 200 pounds of pure muscle, Yara," Colby joked, not seeing the seriousness in her demeanour or hearing it in her tone of voice. "A beer or two isn't going to do anything to Stephen. Let's get in the car."

Yara shook her head. "No. I can't."

"Yara, come on, what's the big deal?" Colby asked, outstretching his arms. "He's fine! The hotel is like a ten minute drive away," he said as he noticed Yara begin to pace back and forth.

"Colby please, I can't get in that car," Yara pleaded, her voice frantic.

"What's wrong with the car?" It's fine," Colby said, now thinking maybe it was the car and not necessarily the driver.

"Can we please just get a taxi?" she asked. "I'll pay for the tab, I don't care."

"Yara, what's wrong with going with Ste-"

"Colby, _please_ ," she begged, the strain evident in her voice.

"I can give you guys a ride," Rami intervened, seeing and hearing enough. He could see that, for whatever reason, Yara was on the verge of tears. He approached Yara and Colby, pointing to his car for Yara to see. "We can switch around the passengers and you guys will come with me," he offered. "Austin was supposed to come with me but he didn't drink – he gave his drink to E – so I'll go talk to him and he can drive Stephen, Matt, Eric, and Will back to the hotel. I can drive you two and Danielle."

"Whatever man, I'm riding shotgun," Colby said, abandoning Yara next to Rami as he walked around the car and got in to the passenger's seat.

Yara looked at Rami. She knew he could tell something was up. He seemed to read her thoughts, because just as she was about to ask the question, he gave her the answer she needed to hear. "I'm a Muslim. I don't drink."

Yara let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks," she barely managed to get out, trying to keep it together. "I don't - I mean I can't -"

"Hey, you don't have to explain yourself to me," Rami said, giving her a small smile. "Let's just go back to the hotel, okay? Let me go talk to Austin."

The car ride was mostly quiet. Danielle and Yara were in the backseat, but nobody felt like talking since they were so tired. Yara could see Rami look at her through the rear-view mirror multiple times to see if she was okay; Colby had been looking out the window the entire time, not bothering to look at her, even discreetly. She probably embarrassed him. He probably thought she made a big scene, although nobody else besides Rami seemed to notice. Judging by his behaviour, he was definitely mad at her.

Back at the hotel, Danielle hugged Yara goodbye before retreating to her room, while Rami dropped them off at their door before moving further down the hallway to his own room. Colby still hadn't said a word as he shoved the key card into the door, letting them in.

Yara walked straight into the room, past Colby, to the desk and chair at the other end. Colby watched her as she gripped the back of the chair, as if she needed it to support herself while she was standing.

"Do you care to explain to me what that was all about back there?" Colby asked, the contempt evident in his voice. "Why'd you make such a scene?"

Yara turned to face him. "I'm sorry, I was trying to prevent somebody from drinking and driving," she said angrily, slipping out of her shoes. "Excuse me for trying to prevent an accident."

"He wasn't drinking and driving! He had like, what, two beers! He's 260 pounds Yara!"

"So suddenly beer isn't alcoholic?!" she demanded, turning away from him to take off her cardigan.

Colby waited a few moments, watching her as she hung her cardigan over the chair. She stood stoic, her back still turned to him, as she closed her eyes and shook her head. Colby traced his fingers down her back, hoping for a calmer reaction from her. "Yara," he said softly, nuzzling his head against hers, his lips near her ears. "You have to tell me what's going on."

"No," she said.

"Yara."

"No."

"Look at me," he said, placing his hands on her hips to spin her around. "What's the matter? Whatever it is, you can tell me."

Yara shook her head, probably trying to talk herself out of telling him. She managed to calm herself before she began speaking. "Naveed died because a drunk driver t-boned him."

Colby's mouth went dry. He stood stoic in his spot, looking at Yara, who was now void of emotion. "Oh my God Yara…" the words escaped his mouth. He knew they weren't the most comforting, or the most eloquent, but that's all that his brain could formulate. "I'm such a fucking asshole."

"You kind of are," she joked, trying to lighten the mood with a chuckle. She grabbed his bicep and squeezed it gently. It was obvious he was more shaken up by the reveal than she was. "You don't have to say anything, Colby. There's nothing you can say that's already been said to me about it."

"I'm so-"

"You're sorry, I know," Yara said, smiling slightly as she rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Colby, it's okay. Enough has been said about it over the years."

Colby shook his head as he walked backwards until he reached the bed, sitting on the edge. He hunched over and brought his head into his hands. He didn't think he'd ever felt so terrible in his life – and that was saying something. For him to brush off her concern and what could be described as a mini panic attack was absolutely horrible. "How can you put up with me?" he asked out loud, almost to himself.

"Hey, come on," Yara said, climbing on top of his lap, forcing his head out of his hands to look at her. Her thumbs grazed his lips, her fingers tickled by his beard. "You're not someone I 'put up' with," she answered simply. "I'm here because I like you. Obviously."

"I can't believe how much of an asshole I am," he said to himself. "I can't…I'm over here being the shittiest person on the planet, and you're just…you're too good for me. You're way too good for me. I don't even know why -"

"I'm too good for you? No," Yara said sternly, shaking her head. "There's nothing about me that makes me better than anybody else."

Colby breathed heavily as he looked into her eyes. "You have to believe me. I'm so sorry about the way I acted. I'm a fucking idiot, I really am. Do you forgive me?"

"Of course I forgive you. There's no way you would have known. But you know now why I acted the way I did."

"And you had every right to. I don't have an excuse. I promise you it'll never happen again. Ever."

Yara smiled softly, running her thumb along his lips again. "Let's go to bed, Colby. I'm tired and all I want is for you to hold me."

Colby stripped down to his boxers, watching as Yara undressed and slipped on one of his old wrestling t-shirts as pajamas. She climbed into bed with him, snuggling into his side and laying her head on his chest. Colby placed some light kisses on her forehead as she hooked her leg over his body.

Her breathing eventually steadied, and within no time, Colby knew she was asleep. Despite this, he was wide-awake, thinking over and over about Yara's plight.


	13. As Makeshift As We Are

The next morning, Colby awoke before Yara did. She was still practically sprawled on top of him, still sleeping, her face nestled into his chest. Colby had one arm wrapped around her while the other was stretching out onto the empty area of the bed. He looked down at her to see a peaceful look on her face, completely unlike what he was feeling at the moment. His mind was definitely not peaceful; instead, it was running a mile a minute about the events of last night – events which he still felt horrible about. The fact that she was still here, sprawled on top of him, was a miracle to him. In any normal circumstances, any girl he'd ever known would have left him high and dry last night. But Yara didn't.

When she shifted around, she opened her eyes slightly, looking up and meeting his. She gave him a sleepy smile before he craned his neck to give her a kiss. "Morning," she mumbled.

"Good morning."

"This is my favourite way to wake up."

"Likewise," Colby smiled. "You look so beautiful when you sleep."

"Do you watch me sleep like Edward Cullen?"

Colby snorted. Even when she was half awake, her sharp wit was still about her. "Yes. Don't you know I'm a vampire? I've been alive for a hundred years."

"You must have seen some shit then."

Colby couldn't help but laugh, his body shaking even with her weight on top of him. He tightened his grip on her and shifted their bodes so they were now on their sides, staring at each other. She brought one of her hands up to his head and ran her fingers through his hair. "You're so handsome."

"You're not so bad yourself," he smirked.

"I have bags under my eyes from too many late nights. The ladies at the spa always put cucumbers on them."

"Do you eat the cucumbers afterwards?"

"No, but I'm always tempted."

Colby smiled, leaning in to kiss her, morning breath be damned. When he pulled away, he looked into her eyes for a few moments before proceeding. "I'm sorry again for last night," he whispered.

"You need to stop apologizing. It's okay."

"Yara…did your brother dying have something to do with you running away?"

Yara's body language immediately changed once she heard Colby's question. Instead of melting into his touch, she was stiffer, her eyes looking past him. "Maybe," she mumbled. "It's not something I like to discuss."

"Yara…" Colby said, eyes pleading.

Yara took a deep breath. "Remember how I said I was always just like, the extra child to them? They had Rana, the star, and they had Naveed, the boy? And I was just kinda there?"

"Mhm."

"Well…the night Naveed died, he was picking me up from a party. He promised me he would, because he didn't want anybody who was drunk off their mind to do it. But he got hit on the way there and I…like I immediately felt it, you know? I immediately felt horrible. Maybe it's a twin thing…I don't know," she shook her head at herself. "Anyway, because he was coming to get _me_ , my parents blamed _me_. They kept telling me that I killed Naveed. That if I wasn't so irresponsible, going out to party all the time, that it wouldn't have happened."

"Yara…"

"Which I know is a lie. I don't need therapy to tell me that. Anyway, they kept up their verbal abuse and I kept threatening to leave. One night, my mom got really mad at me for no apparent reason, and she told me 'I wish you died instead of Naveed'. And so I did, to her. To them. That night I put all my shit in a suitcase and used my savings to buy a one-way flight from Vancouver to New York. And I haven't spoken to them since."

Colby felt like he was going to throw up. He could never imagine a parent saying something so hurtful, so vile, and so damaging to a child. He knew if he ever had kids it would be impossible – there was no way he had that much pure hate in him; so much hate to say something like that to an innocent child. And to think Yara had been through it. Yara lived through it for almost 20 years of her life, from the people who were supposed to love her most. "You didn't deserve any of that," he said. "It's not your fault. It's not your fault."

"I know. I was just a kid, just a university student studying international relations. But that last conversation stung. I knew I had to get out of there."

"Did you know anybody in New York?"

"Not a soul. I crashed at a shelter for a few weeks, and luckily I was able to pick up a waitressing job immediately, which meant awesome tips, so I had enough money to pay for a room in an apartment after that. I wrote freelance on the side too, which eventually led me to the New York Social."

"Would you want…I mean would you ever want to speak to them again?"

Yara took a moment to think. "I don't know…I don't even know what I would say to them, to be honest. I debate about that all the time. Sometimes I find myself thinking how my dad is doing. If it's possible, he was the least horrible to me. Sometimes I wonder if Rana ended up becoming a lawyer like she wanted…and I wonder if my mom ever found peace after Naveed's death. But I'm not sure I want to know. I don't know what I'd do with that information."

Colby draped an arm over her, pulling her closer towards his chest. "I want you to know that I'm here for you, always. I'm here to help you with anything and everything. You…I want you to be happy. The happiest you can be."

"I _am_ the happiest I can be right now."

Colby kissed her forehead. "What can I do to make you even happier?" he asked. "I want you to tell me. Be honest with me."

Yara smiled. "Well, one day, you have to take me to get a tattoo."

Colby pushed back for a second to get a better look at her face. "A tattoo? You don't strike me as the type."

"I know, but I've always wanted one. And I saw the ones that you have and it got me thinking, and wanting one again."

"Okay. What do you want?"

"Right here," she brought up her right hand and pointed to the inside of her wrist. "I want to get my favourite quote in Farsi right here."

"What's your favourite quote?"

"I am mine before I am anyone else's."

Colby smiled from ear to ear. If there were a quote to perfectly encapsulate Yara, her experiences, her journey, and her spirit, it would be that. "Okay, done. What else can I do to make you happy?"

"I want you to make me feel good," she whispered, grazing her fingernails over his shoulder blade. "I want you to make me feel _good_."

Colby kissed her immediately, not wanting to waste any time. If he was going to make her feel good – and give her something to look forward to until the next time they met, which could be in weeks – he was going to do it all morning long.

XXXXXXXXXX

In Laura's apartment, Yara didn't even bother to sit at the small dining table as she took out the Chinese take-out container from the bag. She had an entire container of Cantonese chow mein with her name on it, and she wasn't in the mood to wait for Laura to grab the wine. "I don't think you realize that I've been waiting for this all week," Yara called out to her as she watched her uncork the wine bottle on her counter.

"That makes two of us," Laura called out. "Wait for me you bitch! I bought all this God damn food anyway!"

Yara opened the lid of her chow mein and was intoxicated by the scent. "In five…four…three…"

"Wait wait _wait_!"

"Two…"

"I'm carrying wine glasses for fuck sakes!"

"ONE!"

"Aaaaand sitting," Laura plopped down on the cushion on the floor opposite Yara, without managing to spill any of the wine. "Am I skilled or am I skilled?"

"Give me my wine."

"Someone's bitchy today."

"I've been waiting for this _all day_."

"So have I!"

"What are we going to toast to?"

Laura thought for a moment, a cheeky grin appearing on her face. "To bearded men."

Yara snorted. Clearly it was a shot at her – even though Laura usually went for athletes, she still liked her men clean cut. Colby obviously did not fit that description. "Fuck you, you bitch. Then I'm going to toast too – to suits."

"Fair enough," Laura clinked their glasses together before taking a sip of wine. "Okay, pass the spring rolls."

The two best friends ate together and engaged in lively talk about a variety of topics, but mostly about the people they knew and the gossip surrounding them. They never could just leave work at work; they always brought it home. Laura informed Yara that their acquaintance Jessica was hooking up with the same Yankee Laura had a year ago. Yara knew that Alex McCaul was hooking up with Stephanie Banks _and_ Candice Grange, because she'd seen him out with Stephanie on Friday and Candice on Saturday. Laura wondered if any of the girls knew; Yara assured her they did, and were probably fighting for his attention. Some girls in the city became desperate when the idiot son of a hotshot lawyer had a lot of connections and could get their picture in society magazines like theirs.

When Yara got up to go to the washroom, she almost didn't notice the second toothbrush in Laura's holder. One was a manual, the other an electric. Yara found it peculiar, and a bit sketchy, that Laura would have _two_ toothbrushes in her apartment, when she was single. Yara didn't want to think anything of it, and tried her hardest not to think about it during her time in the washroom, but her curiosity got the best of her and she found herself needing to know the answer.

"Hey Laura?"

"Yo."

"What's with the two toothbrushes?"

Laura's head whipped around to look at Yara. "Huh?"

"You've got two toothbrushes in your bathroom."

"Oh, yeah. I'm switching from manual to electric," she answered quickly.

"I thought you always used electric."

"Um, I did for a while, but then the battery ran out and I was too lazy to go out and buy them, so I just used a manual for the time being."

"And now you have batteries?"

"And now I have batteries."

"Well aren't you going to throw the old one out?"

"You know how lazy I am, I'll do it eventually."

"Do you want me to do it right now?"

"No!" she answered quickly. "Seriously, just get back over here. We need to talk about Colby," Laura changed the subject.

Yara digressed. She went back to the coffee table and sat down in her spot. "What's their to talk about that we haven't already talked about?"

"You love him, don't you?"

Yara immediately blushed. "Uh…no."

"YOU LOVE HIM!" Laura accused her, pretending to throw a spring roll at her. "You love him _already!_ "

"No…no I don't," Yara said, mostly unconvincingly. "It's way too soon for me to know. I mean it's been like what, four, five months since we've met? I like him a lot but I can't say that I love him. Not yet."

"Okay, sure," Laura rolled her eyes.

"I mean it."

"Sure you do."

"Laura!"

"I mean, he's coming back to New York in…two weeks? Three weeks?"

"Three weeks, because I'm forcing him to go home to Iowa when he _could_ be coming to see me," Yara informed her. "Seriously, that boy hasn't been home in the longest time, so I made him."

"He listens to you," Laura winked.

"Please stop."

"This is my job."

"This is not your job. Your official job title is columnist."

"Well then this is my side job," Laura smirked. Yara wasn't having it. "Oh come on, Yara! I'm your best friend! If you can't tell your best friend, who can you tell?"

"I _am_ telling my best friend," Yara stressed. "I like him a lot. I do. But love? No."

"Alright fine, I believe you," Laura finally relented. "But do you think it's leading that way?"

"Well, obviously. I mean I'd be stupid to be with him if I didn't think it was going anywhere."

"Do you think he loves you?"

Yara paused to ponder the question. Colby definitely did a lot of things that made it obvious he cared for her very much, but love? She still couldn't quite say yes, definitively. She didn't know what he was like in his previous relationships; if the going above and beyond to spend time together was something he did often, or just for her. She guessed she'd have to dig deep for that type of information from his friends the next time she saw them. "I don't know. I would think so."

"You would hope so."

"Well, yeah," Yara blushed.

"How long was it before you and Connor said I love you, again?"

Yara pursed her lips. "Six months." She shook her head at the memory. He'd said it first, after a dinner with his parents. "What a mistake that was."

"Connor loved you, Yara," Laura said in a soothing voice.

"Yeah, he loved me so much he cheated on me."

Laura sighed. "Well, there _was_ a time you two loved each other, remember?"

"I don't want to. Three years of my life wasted. I could have been doing much better things with my time."

"Like?"

"Hooking up with guys that _weren't_ Connor Gavin."

Laura stuffed another spring roll into her mouth, temporarily silent as Yara's words hung in the air. "You're right," she finally said, her mouth still full of chewed spring roll, "but at the same time, I don't think it's particularly healthy to look back on that period with such contempt."

"Why not?"

"You two _loved_ each other. You two were going to get married for heaven's sake. You didn't make that decision lightly."

"Can we stop talking about it," Yara said, looking down at her almost-finished chow mein. "I think we've talked about it enough in the year since it's happened."

"Okay, fine," Laura said, prepared to drop the conversation. "Just…know that I love you, okay? Even if there are more fuck ups in your future, I love you regardless."

It was times like this when Yara truly appreciated and loved how close she was with Laura. She truly was like her family. "Thanks, boo. I love you too."


	14. Done and Done

"Mmmph, do you have to go back to New York?" Colby asked as he watched Yara pack her overnight bag. She'd come up to Boston to visit him for the few days he was in town, but conveniently told him that tonight, Saturday night, she'd have to go back to New York for Laura's birthday.

"Laura would kill me if I didn't. I mean, I think she's already mad I was here this weekend anyway. This will be a nice surprise for her," Yara said as she packed her skincare products in her bag. "Aren't I a nice surprise? Her best friend coming in from out of town to party the night away?" Yara asked rhetorically.

"What are you guys going to do tonight?"

"I don't know, probably just head to a bar with her friends and other girls from work."

"Are you going to take a taxi back to the airport?" he asked.

Yara knew what Colby meant when he asked that question. He wanted to make sure she was being safe, after everything she told him about what happened to Naveed. She gave him a sombre smile, walking over to him and cupping his face in her hands, kissing him quickly. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "Yes, I'm going to take a taxi. I'll be safe. I always am."

"Okay, good. I just -"

"I know. You don't have to worry about me."

"I still do."

"Don't."

"Impossible. You keep me up at night."

"Is that why you have bags under your eyes?" she smirked.

"Hey!" he called out, offended by her statement. "Not everybody has time to get cucumber facials, alright?"

"Next time you're in New York I can book you in for one."

"As long as you keep it a secret."

Yara glided her thumb and index finger along her lips, pretending to lock it and throw away the key. She laid her head onto his chest, the feeling of his arms around her comforting. She sighed contently. "Are you sure you're okay with me going?"

"I'll live," Colby admitted. "In reality, I'll be asleep for most of it. Plus I know that you and Laura are like family. If I was that close with someone I'd want to be there for their birthday too."

Yara was relieved he understood. Most men would have put up a giant fight over her prioritizing a friend over their relationship. But considering her situation and the fact that she hadn't spoken to her family in ten years, Colby was extremely understanding of the fact that Laura _was_ like the only family she had. She figured he understood more so than others because he traveled a lot and didn't get to see his family as often as he wanted to. His friends in the wrestling business were his family. "I'll call you as soon as I land, okay?"

"Okay."

"Maybe I'll even send you some pictures of me in my dress."

Colby's eyebrows rose in delight, his hands moving down to cup her bottom. "You _better_."

XXXXXXXXXX

"I thought Yara was supposed to be here this weekend?" Rami asked as he walked into Colby's room, holding the pizza box in both arms, the various boxes of wings on top. Claudio followed close behind, carrying the drinks and a bag of Doritos Cool Ranch chips.

"She is….she just flew back to New York for the night. It's her best friend Laura's birthday," Colby explained.

"Are you okay with that?" Claudio asked.

"I have to be."

Claudio shrugged his shoulders, accepting Colby's response. "Ready to eat?"

Rami lay the pizza down on the bed, each of the men taking a seat around it. Claudio distributed the drink to everybody, leaving the chips on the floor for later. Each grabbed a slice of pizza. "So how are things with you guys?" Rami asked, his mouth full of pizza.

"Good," Colby nodded his head, chewing. "Hadn't seen her in five weeks though. We had a lot of catching up to do."

"I'm sure," Claudio rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, you guys had to make up for that night in DC, didn't you?" Rami asked, wagging his eyebrows at Colby.

"Ugh, don't remind me."

"What? What happened in DC?" Claudio asked, oblivious to the situation.

Colby knew he had to say something now. Both Rami and Claudio were looking at him expectantly. "A bunch of us went out that night Raw was in DC. Yara…she basically had a mild panic attack at the thought of Stephen driving us home because she had seen him drink, and I got upset at her. Turns out her twin brother, Naveed, passed away because a drunk driver t-boned him on his way to pick her up from a party."

Claudio's eyes bulged out of their sockets. Colby could see Rami shake his head as he recounted the story. "Holy shit. Holy _fuck_. That's fucking horrible," Claudio commented in disbelief.

"I know. And by the way, this doesn't leave this room," Colby warned. Both men held their hands up in front of them and then to their hearts, letting Colby know the secret was safe with them. "Anyway, remember how I told you guys she doesn't speak to her family?" Both men nodded their head. "It's because they blame her for Naveed's death. Her mother actually said to her 'I wish you had died instead of Naveed'."

Claudio almost dropped his slice of pizza in shock. Rami did. "You've _gotta_ be kidding me," Rami said.

"I swear to you. She told me the next morning."

"How can a parent say that to their child?" Rami asked. Colby shrugged his shoulders. "You've gotta be…wow. _Wow_. That's unbelievable."

"Thank God she got out of there, then," Claudio commented. "It's actually probably better that she left and moved to New York, than if she had stayed."

"It went on throughout her entire life, but yeah. That comment was the last straw for her. Understandably so."

"So no wonder she considers her best friend Laura like family," Rami commented. "Laura, and the other people she has in New York…they're literally all she has."

"Well, and Colby now," Claudio chimed in.

"And us," Rami added. "I mean, we all get along great. And I know Danielle really likes her. They text all the time too now."

"Yeah. She manages to surround herself with amazing people. She definitely knows how to choose a family of friends," Colby half-smiled.

XXXXXXXXXX

Yara knew Laura would still be at her apartment. Nobody in their right mind went out for a night on the town in New York City on a Saturday until at least 11:30. Yara figured she was probably still getting ready, so she hopped in a taxi at the airport to go directly to Laura's place so they could get ready for the big night together.

Upon arrival, Yara buzzed Laura's apartment, but someone else who lived in the building was leaving, so Yara snuck in, not bothering to wait for Laura to answer on the intercom. She took the stairs up to Laura's third-storey apartment and knocked on the door loudly.

There was silence at first, which made Yara really wonder if Laura was being an old fart and had already gone out this early – it was only 10pm. She knocked again, louder this time.

"Who is it?" she heard Laura call from the other side of the door.

"Yoohooooo, it's meeee!" Yara called out. "Let me in!"

"Yara?"

"The one and only!"

"What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't be away from my best friend on her _birthday_! Open the door woman!"

"Uh…wait! I'm…just…hold on…"

"Come _on_ Laura! I've seen your naked body one too many times, it's not going to faze me. Let me in!"

"Just hold on a minute," Laura called from the other side of the door.

Yara began to sing the Jeopardy song, almost reaching the end before she heard Laura unlock the door. "What are you _doing_ here?!" she repeated a giant smile on her face.

"Haaaappy Birthday!" Yara exclaimed, throwing up her arms for a hug.

"Aren't you supposed to be in Boston with Colby?"

"I was, but I couldn't miss your birthday," Yara said sweetly, walking into Laura's flat.

"Is he okay with it?"

"He'll get over it," Yara shrugged, walking through to her small kitchen, seeing an already opened bottle of champagne on the countertop. "Damn, you're getting the party started early!" Yara commented.

"You know me."

As the words left Laura's mouth, Yara noticed not just one, but two champagne flutes beside the bottle. "Two champagne flutes?"

"Huh?"

"Why are there two champagne flutes?"

"Oh, your best friend is an idiot who poured a glass for herself, had to go to the washroom, and completely forgot she poured that first flute before pouring a second one."

"Ah, well then, in that case…" Yara grabbed both flutes, handing one to Laura. "To being thirty."

"To being thirty."

The two clinked their champagne flutes together and drank the contents, setting the glasses back down on the countertop. "Alright, are we gonna fuckin' do this?" Yara asked, already riled up for the night ahead. "Where are we going? What are we doing?"

"We're going to Cab Vol. I'm thinking high ponytail, dramatic eyes, bodycon dress," Laura informed her.

"Are the girls meeting us there?"

"You betcha."

"Alright, let me go to the washroom quickly, then I'll do your smoky eye," Yara said, taking charge. She grabbed the two champagne flutes and the bottle, bringing them into Laura's room.

As Yara walked in, Laura's door to her ensuite was wide open, allowing Yara to see inside. Yara stopped dead in her tracks, noticing that her toilet seat was up. Yara knew that Laura had been home all day, so for the toilet seat to be up was very peculiar. She was no Nancy Drew, but she found it odd.

"Laura?" she called out before she could fully realize what she was doing. When she took a step into the bathroom, she noticed the two toothbrushes still in the holder.

"Have you relieved yourself sufficiently?" Laura asked, walking into her bedroom, looking slightly frazzled.

"Yeah…" Yara said absent-mindedly. "Hey Laura…"

"Hm?"

"Why is your toilet seat up?"

"Huh?"

"Your toilet seat," Yara repeated. "And your extra toothbrush. It's still here. Who are you hiding in here?"

Laura scoffed at Yara's assumption. "Yara, please. I'm not hiding anybody. I've just been cleaning."

Laura's words were lost on Yara, who had singled out an all-too-familiar object atop Laura's dresser, almost tucked away behind the giant, glittered picture frame, holding a photo of the two women together at an event held by their magazine. She'd seen the bottle countless times before, had bought that bottle more times than she could count, had smelled it contents for three years of her life. Christian Dior's Eau Sauvage. Connor's signature cologne.

Laura's eyes had followed Yara's to her dresser. When Yara finally looked at Laura, Laura's eyes were full of panic, knowing that the realization had dawned on Yara. "Is that…?" Yara asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yara…"

"CONNOR!" Yara yelled out into the apartment, stomping her way out of Laura's bedroom into the main living area, hell-bent on finding him. "CONNOR!"

"Yara!" Laura exclaimed, following her out of the room. "Yara, look at me!"

Yara whipped her head back to look at Laura. "Where's Connor?!" she demanded, approaching her slowly. "How long has it been going on? Huh? _How long has it been going on?!_ " she yelled. "You tell me where he is in this apartment right now, or -"

Yara didn't need to finish the sentence, as it was in the process of being answered. From behind Laura, through the door that led to the den, emerged Connor. All six foot, two inches of Connor Gavin.

"Yara…" was the first word out of his mouth, which was all he and Laura could apparently say in the situation. Hearing her name coming out of his mouth, in this moment, was the only time ever that she'd been repulsed by her own name. She never wanted it uttered from his lips again.

"I trusted you!" Yara wailed, marching past Laura. "I trusted you for three years of my life!" Her cheeks flushed red, overcome with emotion as she looked at the man she used to love, who had, at one time, given her so much happiness. Now, he did nothing but disgust her.

"Yara, I can explain," Laura intervened, Connor remaining silent.

"How could you do this to me?!" Yara cried out in response, now focusing her attention on Laura. Laura began to shake her head, preparing to say something to defend herself, but Yara didn't want to hear it. Everything was incriminating enough. To think where Connor's hands had been on Laura, after they had been on her body; to think where his lips wandered over Laura's body, after they'd been all over Yara's. "Laura! LAURA! _How could you do this to me?!_ " Yara kept asking, tears running down both of their faces now. "You're my best friend!"

"Yara, I can't - I never - I -"

"I hate you," Yara roared, her words firm in their conviction. "I hate you. _I hate you._ I HATE YOU," Yara repeated over at over, staring Laura directly in the eyes.

"No Yara, no, please -"

"I never want to speak to you again," she declared, pointing her finger at Laura. "I never want to _hear_ from you, _see_ you, _speak_ to you for the rest of my life, EVER! You are _dead_ to me! Hear me?! _DEAD TO ME!_ "

Laura clutched her heart as Yara turned and made her way out of the apartment, slamming the door on the way out. She looked over to Connor in pure shock, still clutching her her heart as tears began to stream down her face.

Yara had rushed down the stairs, already sobbing as she reached the street. She mindlessly walked down the block as she continued to sob, until the reality of the situation really set in and she had to take hold of the wire railing outside of a house to support herself from completely collapsing onto the sidewalk.

Connor had cheated on her with Laura Higgins, her best friend. Her family. When he had revealed to her, a year ago now, that he had been cheating on her and he wanted to call off their wedding, he never specified who he was cheating with. Yara had always assumed it was an assortment of women – a rich, successful man in New York like Connor Gavin had his pick of women falling at his feet constantly. Now she knew he was having an affair with Laura.

Laura, who had helped her through the whole ordeal. Laura, who brought her soup, chocolate, wine, anything to help ease the pain; who had cleaned her apartment when Yara was too depressed to get out of bed; who had helped rebuild her confidence after the break-up.

Yara had never felt so betrayed in her entire life. She felt like her heart had just been ripped out of her chest. Worst yet, she felt like her life was a lie. She was supposed to have a best friend in Laura. She was supposed to have a nice life in New York. She was supposed to be living a happy, fulfilling existence, surrounding herself with people who loved her.

That was all a lie now. It all went up in flames faster than a New York minute.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was 3:37am when Colby heard frantic knocks and bangs on the door of his hotel room. When he awoke, he immediately checked his phone to make sure he hadn't slept in; that it wasn't one of his friends calling on him to go to the gym for a workout. When he noticed the time, and the darkness from the window, he wasn't sure what to think.

He got out of bed slowly, still a bit sore from his workout and feeling the heartburn from the pizza, wing, and Doritos with the boys. The banging on the door never stopped. When he unlatched the locks and opened the door, he was suddenly wide-awake. On the other side of the door stood Yara, tears streaming down her face, her eyes more red than he'd ever seen a pair of eyes be.

She was supposed to be in New York City. She was supposed to be with Laura. What was she doing back in Boston, crying outside his hotel room? How did she even get here? His thoughts were so rapid, he didn't know how his brain was putting two and two together, especially since he had woken up all of thirty seconds ago. "Did you drive here from New York?" he asked.

Yara was in no mood for formalities and small talk. "It was Laura," Yara said, her voice brittle and weak. "Connor was cheating on me with Laura."

Colby's jaw dropped, the words coming out of Yara's mouth immediately registering in his mind. Laura – Yara's co-worker. Laura – Yara's best friend. Laura – Yara's Brutus. "Laura?" he repeated.

Yara could only nod her head as a sob escaped her. She brought her hands up to her face to shield it. She felt Colby's arm wrap around her strongly, pulling her into his chest. She continued to sob as he pulled her into his hotel room, the door clicking shut behind them. In one swift movement Colby hoisted her up in his arms. She wrapped her legs around his torso as he made his way to the bed, sitting down against the headboard.

Colby didn't say a word. He knew no words could fix this; he knew there was nothing he could say at 3:39 in the morning that could make Yara feel better about anything. The only thing he did – that he knew he had to do – was let Yara cry. He stroked her hair, his hands squeezing her shoulders every so often as she cried into his shirt. It soaked through fairly quickly, but that was the last thing on his mind.

Yara cried for what felt like hours. He didn't even know what time it was when she started to calm down and fall asleep against his chest. If she had the choice, she probably would have kept crying. Colby figured her body was probably exhausted from the shaking and the sobbing, not to mention the driving from New York City to Boston in the middle of the night. Colby didn't have anything particularly important to do during the day – even if he had, he would have put it on the backburner now, to support Yara through this.

He did resolve one thing in his mind: if he ever saw Connor Gavin or Laura Higgins ever again, there would be hell to pay.


	15. At Transformation

Yara didn't look peaceful as she slept, which killed Colby inside. She looked devastated, shattered, fractured – like she had just been through a war. Colby had barely even closed his eyes since she got there and collapsed in his arms. He was too worried, too scared. She'd already been through a lot in her life already, and now she had to go through this.

She eventually rolled off of him, freeing him to move around as he pleased, although he stayed in the same position for a while, watching her. He'd barely slept but he wasn't tired – how could he be in this sort of situation? He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say when she finally awoke. He was devastated too – devastated by the betrayal she had faced at the hands of her best friend. He didn't know if anything he said would be able to bring her solace.

Reluctantly, he rolled off the bed, grabbing his phone from the end table. He walked into the washroom, closing the door silently as he dialled the number of one of the only people he trusted; one of the only people who could give him advice on what to do that he would actually listen to.

"Hey bud, what's up?"

"Rami," he whispered, making sure his voice wasn't loud enough to wake Yara. "Uh…listen…"

"What's wrong?"

"I need your help."

"What happened?"

"It's Yara."

"What happened to her?" Rami asked immediately.

"You remember how I told you her former fiancé cheated on her?"

"Yeah."

"She…last night, she found out the affair was with her best friend Laura. She caught them."

Rami paused, absolutely shocked at the information Colby just told him. "Holy _fuck_. Holy _shit_. How is she doing?"

"Not good. Not good at all, as to be expected. She's really shaken up about it."

"What can I do?" Rami asked immediately.

Colby's heart grew twice the size hearing those words. "I don't know man…I don't know. You're just…gah, I didn't even want to pull you into this, but you're always so positive, so upbeat, I don't know…"

"I can drop by if you want me to, offer to take you guys out for lunch or something, pretend I don't know about it," he said immediately.

"I honestly don't know if she's going to be willing to leave the room."

"She's in that bad of shape, huh?"

"Yeah. It's…"

"Well if that's the case, the best thing for her may be to just let her have that sadness. Let her experience it completely. You don't know your highest high if you haven't experienced your lowest low, you know?"

"I can't do that, Rami. I can't stand to see her like this. She's a shell. She's empty. I looked into her eyes and all I saw was pain…and agony…heartbreak and torture."

Rami sighed loudly on the other end. Colby buried his head in his hands. "Well, I don't know what _I_ can do, but _you_ can just be there for her."

"How?"

"Just _be_ there for her, Colby. Talk to her. Find out what's going on in her head right now. Support her through everything. You know your relationship better than I do so you know what she's going to need from you," Rami explained.

It was Colby's turn to sigh heavily. He knew Rami was right, but the last thing Colby wanted to do was make the situation worse somehow, and there was always the possibility of that happening, especially with him. He was well aware of his track record with women. "I'm gonna go. I'll call you later."

"Please do. Let me know how she's doing and anything I can do to help."

When he walked back into the main room, he put his phone back on the end table and slipped back into bed. As he wrapped his arm around her, he felt her move against him. She opened her eyes, looking directly into his.

"Hey baby," he whispered. "How are you feeling?"

"I heard you talking to Rami," she ignored his question. Her voice was still brittle and weak. "Is he coming over?"

"No…unless you want him to. I can call him back."

"I like him. He's such a sweetheart."

"Do you want me to call him?"

"No. I want to be alone with you right now."

Colby kissed her forehead, running his fingers through her hair slowly. "Tell me how you're feeling."

"I feel like I've just been hit by a truck," she admitted. "I've never felt more betrayed in my entire life. I don't even want to think about how long their affair was. I'm gonna make myself sick if I keep thinking about it."

"Tell me what I can do to help you, please," Colby begged. "I can't stand seeing you like this."

"You can lay with me, here. That's all I want right now."

He had to comply. He snuggled into her more, tightening his grip around her, laying there in silence with her for what felt like forever. Colby knew that, in his own way, by doing what he was told, he was helping her – how much, he didn't know.

"I feel like my life is a lie," Yara said unexpectedly, taking Colby out of his own thoughts.

"What do you mean?"

"I feel…I feel like who I was…who I _am_ – I don't even know anymore – who I was in New York isn't who I am anymore, or who I _can_ be anymore. I feel different. I feel now that I was living a lie, being some columnist that I wasn't even meant to be -"

"Don't say things like that. You were made for that job, Yara," Colby interrupted.

"I wasn't made for this, Colby. I'm a girl from a middle class family in Vancouver – I was never really cut out for the socialites of New York. I studied international relations for God's sake."

"Don't undermine your success at your career because of this. You were an ace at your job in every way possible, and you know it. You had New York City in the palm of your hand."

Yara shook her head. "They chewed me up and spit me out," she said, her voice quivering. "God, this is such a whirlwind of emotions. How am I ever going to go back to New York? Every place I know is tainted with memories of Connor…even worse now, memories of Laura. I thought I would want to live in the city forever. I thought I wanted a small place, to take a taxi everywhere, to go out for drinks every night. The worst part is I don't know what I want."

"There must be _one_ constant," Colby said. "There must be at least one thing you've wanted since you were a kid. What do you want more than anything in the world?"

Colby watched as Yara's face crinkled up again to cry. She wiped away a tear quickly with the palm of her hand. "I want a family."

Those four words shattered Colby's heart into a million pieces, so much so that he could feel the tears well up in his eyes. Yara looked at him, her eyes red with agony and fatigue. "You're all I have left, Colby," she said, her voice wrought with pain.

"I'm all that you need," Colby said. "You can have all of me."

XXXXXXXXXX

The only knock on the door for the entire day was that of room service. Colby almost had to force feed Yara, who barely even got out of bed to pick at the meal Colby had ordered for her. She wasn't in the mood to eat. She wasn't in the mood to do anything. She wanted nothing more than to wallow in her self-pity, though she knew that was unhealthy and would ultimately make her feel worse.

She had to start making plans. Her whole life was being uprooted and she needed to spearhead the movement and write the new narrative. What would she do? Where would she live? What job would she have? Who would she still have in her life? These were all questions that needed to be answered – and she knew she needed to spearhead the movement.

As she looked down at her plate of French fries and burger on the trolley in front of her, sitting cross-legged on the edge of the bed, her thoughts began to get the best of her. She knew exactly what the first thing she needed to do was. "I need to go back to New York."

Colby was about to bite into his burger, but had stopped midway through. "What? Why?"

"I need to sell my place. I need to quit my job."

" _What?"_

"I can't stay there, Colby. I can't…not when every single place I know and live is tainted with memories of them. I can't do it. I'm strong, but I'm not that strong."

"Yara, do you really think quitting your job and selling your place is going to help you?"

Yara nodded her head only once. "I can't stay there anymore."

Colby knew why she had to do this. It was as if she was cleansing herself of every memory of Connor and Laura. She was going to try and live "Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind", and he knew he had to be there for her. He knew he had to be with her every step of the way. "Okay. I support you. I'll support whatever decision you make."

"Thanks," Yara said, her voice cracking for the umpteenth time that day. "That means a lot, Colby."

"Are you going to leave now?" he asked.

"No, no. I'll leave when I'm supposed to leave," Yara assured him. "I came here to spend the weekend and Monday night with you, and I'm going to do just that. I don't…I don't want to leave you right now. I'll take care of all of that shit on Tuesday or Wednesday. I want to be with you."

Colby crawled over to her, shifting his position on the bed so he was behind her, her back to his chest, as he wrapped his arms around her. He lay his head on her shoulder as she felt her sink into him. He placed a kiss on her shoulder and her neck lovingly. "I'm going to be here for you," he whispered, his breath and lips tickling her skin. "For you, and only you."

XXXXXXXXXX

Rami was the first person Yara and Colby saw as they arrived at the arena on Monday. He had his signature upbeat attitude and was very jovial and light-hearted, but Yara knew he knew. Colby had called him, after all, and she'd heard some of their conversation. Despite this, he didn't let anything on. Yara appreciated that.

That changed, however, when Colby had to attend a creative meeting and had to leave her be to her own devices with him. They made small talk for a while before he brought her to catering. They got some food, retreating to a table in a far corner, away from others. As they set their plates down on the table, he got right into things. She knew he would, and, to be honest, she didn't mind. Rami had a heart of gold. This was the man who sat with her for virtually three hours explaining the ins and outs of the modern wrestling business. She was forever indebted to him for her newfound knowledge on the subject.

"Can I give you a hug?" Rami asked tentatively.

Yara smiled. She resolved that Rami was one of, if not _the_ sweetest person on Earth. "I'm not going to say no to you," she said, extending her arms.

"Colby told me what happened," he whispered as he hugged her.

"I know."  
"And I know you probably don't want to talk about it or don't want me bringing it up, but I just want to let you know I'm here for you if you ever want to talk, or need me to kick someone's ass."

Yara snorted. "You don't have a bad bone in your body. You'd never kick someone's ass."

"Okay fine. You're right," Rami laughed, sitting down along with Yara. "Then I'll be here in case you ever want to go for feel-better ice cream."

"That sounds more like you."

There was a pause between the two, Rami watching Yara's expressions. He was making her laugh and smile, sure, but there was still a lot of pain in her eyes that she was trying to hide. He hated that she had to keep up appearances here; that she had to pretend, for the time she was at the arena, that everything was okay when it most definitely was not. He didn't expect her to be over it in a day and a half. "What do you plan to do?" he asked, his voice soft.

"Well…tomorrow I'm quitting my job. I'll probably contact someone to sell my apartment."

"What?! Seriously?"

"Well I'm not staying in New York, that's for sure."

"But where are you going to go?"

Yara shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe I'll move back to Vancouver. I've…I mean, I've been in this situation before – having no home, not knowing where to go or what to do next – I've done it before, I can do it again."

Rami knew she was alluding to when she ran away from her home and family in Vancouver to New York, but he didn't want to pursue that. Before he could realize what he was saying, he blurted out, "You should travel with us."

Yara shook her head. "I think Colby would get sick of me. Then I'd _really_ have no one."

"Oh _please_. Colby would die for the opportunity for you to be with him 24/7. Are you kidding? He worships the ground you walk on."

"You're exaggerating."

"No…not really," Rami smiled. "The second you mention the idea he'll be all over it. He won't let you go anywhere else."

"I'm not going to mention it to him, but thanks for the idea anyway," Yara said. "I need to get my shit sorted out first."

"That's a decent plan. I support you in that," Rami nodded his head. "As you said, figure your shit out first."

"What would you do?" she asked, surprising him.

"I can't say, Yara. I've been fortunate enough to have never had my former fiancée cheat on me with my best friend."

"Consider yourself lucky," Yara pursed her lips. "But I still would like the advice. You're very level headed, Rami, and a great guy. You must have some words of wisdom for me."

Rami sighed, deep I thought, choosing his words wisely. "You can look at this situation one of two ways, Yara. You have every right to wallow in your sadness, and I actually encourage you to do so – I happen to think it's healthy for you. But you can either choose to continue to be sad, and have that sadness follow you for the rest of your life, or you can make decisions in your life that will make it better than it ever was before, and have those motherfuckers regret they ever crossed you."

Yara couldn't help but smile from ear to ear. At her smile, Rami blushed and smiled too. "See, Rami? You give great advice."

XXXXXXXXXX

The New York Social office was eerily understaffed for a Tuesday. Not many events were held Tuesday mornings for so many people to be out of the office, but Yara resolved not to ask any questions. She was really only in the office for one reason only.

For whatever reason – maybe the universe was on her side today – Laura wasn't in the office. Yara had hyped herself all morning for the possibility of seeing her, even thinking so far ahead to enter the building from the opposite direction she usually did so that she wouldn't walk by hers and Laura's desks. But when she glanced over, it was empty. She put down her purse on her desk, not bothering to take off her coat. She was planning to make this short and sweet.

She didn't bother calling James to tell him she wanted to talk. She walked confidently to his office, knocking on his door. When he saw it was her, he hung up his phone without even saying goodbye to whoever he was talking to. He waved her in.

"Good morning," Yara greeted him politely.

"Sit, please," James motioned to his chair.

Yara shook her head. "No thanks. I…I don't plan on staying long."

James hung his head for a few moments, before he looked at Yara. "I know what happened Saturday night."

"You do?"

"Laura called Jessica. Jessica told me."

"Where is she?"

"Laura? She took the day off."

Yara's voice was void of any emotion. "Good for her."

"You have to know I had no idea," James said, leaning against his desk.

"I know. I think you would have told me if you knew. You're one of the few people that would have…I think."

"I definitely would have."

"I'm resigning," Yara blurted out immediately after. "Effective immediately."

James' eyes bulged out of his head. " _What?"_

"There's no way I can stay here. Not at the New York Social, not in my apartment, not in New York."

"You're _leaving_ New York?!" James was flabbergasted. "But this is your home!"

"Not anymore."

"I can't lose my best reporter."

"Well you're going to."

"Yara, don't you want to think about this? You shouldn't make any rash decisions."

"I have thought about it. I can't stay here."

"Where are you going to go?"

Yara shrugged her shoulders. "Vancouver. Toronto. Chicago. Iowa."

 _"Iowa?"_

"My boyfriend's family is there."

James made a face, as if all the information coming at him was too much at once. "You'd _die_ in Iowa."

"I'd die in New York too."

James sighed heavily. "I can't believe this," he muttered to himself.

"Listen…I'm sorry. I really am. But I really can't stay. You have to understand. I don't know what I'm going to do, or where I'm going to go, but you have to believe that I'll be okay. That I can make a life for myself outside of New York."

"I know you will. I'm not worried about you succeeding in your life post– New York Social, I'm worried about how the New York Social will succeed post–you," James admitted. "You're the best writer I have on staff. This is a serious blow."

Yara stayed silent. She accepted the compliments but didn't want to say so. She knew he was trying to butter her up to get her to stay, but there was no way that was happening. "If you're serious about this, I'm going to need the resignation in paper, even an email is okay," James continued, coming to terms with what was happening. "I'll make sure you get your Christmas bonus on your last cheque -"

"James -"

"Yara, don't," James held his hand up for her to stop. "It's the least I can do for you after this shit situation, even though it's still months away."

"Thank you."

"I assume you want to leave right after we finish having this conversation."

Yara nodded her head.

"Well, listen. Before you go I want to tell you something. I want to be honest with you."

Yara immediately thought the worst. "What?"

"A couple of weeks ago I received an email from a colleague in the magazine and publishing business – I'm not going to name names – who asked all major publications in New York to put forward the best names to contact for a potential position at the The Political Observer," James explained, pausing for dramatic effect. "I put your name into the pool."

Yara could feel herself become emotional. "Why would you put my name into that?"

"Come on Yara. You finished an honours degree in international relations in three years. You're the most informed and informative person I know. You live for this stuff," James said. "I mean, nothing is guaranteed. I just put your name in the pool. But I want to let you know because if I can't have you on my team, I sure as hell want to see you still writing _somewhere_. And if any newspaper, or magazine, or media website is worth their weight in salt – if they know what's good for them, they'll hire you."

Yara could feel a tear roll down her cheek, an immense sense of gratitude taking over her as she looked at James.

Maybe there was _one_ person she'd miss in New York.


	16. When the Weight Comes Down

Everything that Yara had been working towards in New York was now virtually gone.

True to her word, after she spoke to James and quit her job at the New York Social, she made a few calls and was connected with Matthias Shepherd, a real estate agent with many connections on the Upper East Side, who had readily agreed to list her apartment for $2 million. _If you're in no rush_ , he told her, _and a traveling executive, we can hype the listing before we actually list it, to get buzz, to ensure maximum profits._ Yara didn't care, but she agreed. It would be listed in about 10 days time, and she knew it wouldn't be on the market for long.

Yara didn't feel connected to New York anymore. In a short period of time, the city she grew to know and love became a city she hardly knew at all. Behind every soaring skyscraper, beyond the beautiful facades of the townhouses were liars, cheaters, and frauds. A city she once saw herself growing old in now became a city she could never live in again.

Squished into a small booth at a diner in Birmingham, Alabama, Yara was comforted by the simple fact that Colby's arm was resting on her thigh as he held her hand under the table. Having already ordered milkshakes, Colby, Yara, Rami, and Danielle were indulging themselves before the house show that was going to take place.

"So what's the deal, then?" Danielle asked, taking a sip from her milkshake. "How's the selling of the apartment going?"

Yara shrugged. "As well as it should be going right now. My real estate agent hasn't technically listed yet, because he wants to generate buzz on the market so I end up getting more money for it."

"So when will it be listed?"

"In about ten days, I think. Unless something comes up."

"Well that's good. How much is it being listed for?" Rami asked.

"About two million, but we're expecting somewhere closer to 1.8."

"That's a pretty penny."

"It is. I'll be able to buy a nice place somewhere."

Rami, Danielle, and Colby looked between one another at Yara's statement. It was painfully obvious she would be moving, but she never specified where. And with that last statement, she still didn't specify. Danielle was first to approach the subject. "Do you know where you're gonna live?"

"Nah," Yara shook her head. "Maybe I'll move here."

"You're not going to move to Birmingham," Rami laughed. "The only place you know in Birmingham is this diner…and the hotel."

Colby was painfully silent. Truth be told he was uncomfortable with the conversation; he and Yara never discussed where she would live after the ordeal. For all he knew she would move to Los Angeles, or back to Vancouver – hell, she could move to Europe if she wanted to. She was a grown woman who could make any decision she wanted.

"To be serious for a second, the thought of moving to Chicago has come up in my mind a few times," Yara said suddenly. "There are a lot of media outlets there. It's a nice, big city."

"It's close to a Canadian border," Rami winked.

"It's three hours to Davenport," Danielle winked afterwards.

Colby looked to Yara for her reaction, only to see her smiling. "Yeah, well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it," she squeezed his hand under the table. "But for now, Chicago seems nice."

"Well if you do decide to move there, I can totally hook you up with someone to help you find a place," Danielle offered. "The guy I used was great. He got me this amazing place right in the Loop."

"Colby, what do you think?" Rami asked suddenly.

"It's not my place to tell Yara what to do with her life," he responded. "She can make her own decisions. We can work around anything."

Rami acknowledged the statement, winking so quickly Colby was probably the only one who caught it. He felt Yara squeeze his hand under the table again.

"Are you going to try and get a writing job again?" Danielle asked.

"Yeah, probably. Not society writing though. Chicago has a huge society scene but I'm completely over that."

"What are you going to write about then?"

"I don't know…we'll see. I mean, I've got a degree in international relations -"

"You do?"

"Mhm. So maybe I'll go write about politics. My boss, before I left the New York Social, he told me he put my name in a pool of writer's names to possibly be hired by the Political Observer."

"Oh my God!" Danielle exclaimed.

"I know. I mean nothing is set in stone. I haven't gotten a call or anything, but I think it would be pretty cool. I know they have offices in major cities, so they probably have one in Chicago."

"That would be an amazing opportunity," Rami commented, watching Colby's reactions secretly. "They have a huge online presence. I see their work all over."

"Yeah, they're really good. And it helps that they're based online. So we'll see what happens."

"That's amazing, girl. If you get it, you have to take it," Danielle commented. "That's a job a lot of people would kill for."

This was the first Colby had ever heard about a possible job at the Political Observer. Granted, it hadn't been long since she had quit her job, but Yara had plenty of opportunities to tell him. He wondered why she didn't. Did she not think she would get the job? Did she think he wouldn't support her in pursuing it? He hated not knowing.

XXXXXXXXXX

Later, back in the hotel room, Yara was getting her suitcase ready to bring to the arena so that she and Colby could leave for Montgomery right after the show. Colby was in the washroom, trimming his beard, already packed and ready to go.

She had been thinking a lot about what Colby had said during the lunch date with Rami and Danielle, about being able to work around any decision she makes. It was a very diplomatic path for him to take, but Yara had wondered if he was telling the truth. A lot of the time, people said one thing but really meant another. Not to mention his quiet reaction to the Political Observer news – it wasn't hard to see the gears shifting in his head as they talked about it at the table. There was probably a lot going on in his mind, and she wanted to get to the bottom of it.

She walked over to the bathroom near the front of the room. "Hey Colby…" she said, leaning against the doorframe.

"Hmm?"

She extended her arms, signalling, almost pathetically, that she wanted a hug. He saw the motion, turned off his electric razor, and put it on the sink to rest before walking over to her and hugging her. He picked her up as he did, placing her on the countertop beside the sink. She wrapped her arms around his neck, laying her head on his chest as his hands played with the hem of her shirt near her lower back. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in before asking the all-important question. "What do you think I should do?"

"I'm not saying a word about that. I meant what I said back at the diner…you make your decision and we'll work with it."

"Please just tell me."

"No. I'm not doing that to you. I'm not going to be that guy who limits his girlfriend's opportunities because he's insecure and doesn't want her doing her own thing."

She raised her head off his chest to look at him directly. "What if I traveled with you?" she asked, bringing up the point that Rami had mentioned a while back. "I mean, like, not forever. Just until I find something."

"Do whatever you want," he said so passively it made her blood boil.

"Will you just _tell_ me what you want?!" she demanded, raising her voice. "I'm trying to include you in a major life decision and you keep brushing it off as if you have nothing to do with it when you _do_ have something to do with it!"

"You really want me to go there?"

"Yes!"

"I'd have you move in with me at my place in Davenport. I'd have you shop for a nice old house we can fix up or a lot we can build on. I don't _care_ what you're doing, so long as you're with me, Yara."

"You…you want me to move in with you?" she asked timidly.

"Yes, okay? Yes. The second your place is sold in New York I want you to ship your stuff to mine and I want us to start to build a life together in Davenport."

He'd thought about this already. He had it mapped out in his mind and he was keeping it to himself for her sake, until she had pestered him. She couldn't believe he had thought that far ahead, after knowing each other for six or seven months and together for only a small fraction of that. Yara was speechless. "I'm not sure I want to do that yet."

"I _know_. Don't you think I already know that? That's why I didn't want to say anything. I…I wanted to bring it up during Thanksgiving in a few weeks. I was going to invite you to spend some time with my family, see how you like it. But you made me bring it up now."

Yara felt horrible. She wiped some tears away with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry I'm such a bitch."

"You're not a bitch Yara. The farthest thing from it. You're just going through a very emotional time right now. I can understand why you feel so confused about everything."

"I'm not confused about one thing, though," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

"And what's that?"

"That I want to be with you. That I don't want to lose you. I can't _afford_ to lose you."

"You're not going to lose me," Colby said soothingly, kissing her. "You are _not_ going to lose me," he repeated, and kept repeating until she knew he meant it.

XXXXXXXXXX

Two weeks later, Yara received a call. She'd been having a spa day, finishing off with a fresh manicure, when she saw her real estate agent's name flash across her phone screen. She apologized to the manicurist for needing to take the call. "Matthias?"

"Ms. Ghanbari, I'm a genius!" he exclaimed happily.

"Are you?"

"The buzz we generated by waiting to list, and only previewing it for ten days online instead of holding an open house paid off," he explained.

"What does that mean?"

"We have three offers. The highest is our asking price of two million."

Yara was beyond shocked. He had convinced her that the probably highest they'd get was 1.8 million. "Are you joking?"

"Nope. All I need is for you to say yes and your apartment is sold. I can bring you the paperwork later tonight, and we can arrange a closing date."

"Yes!" Yara exclaimed.

"Fantasic! As of now, your apartment is sold. Congratulations."

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Yara couldn't wipe the smile off her face. A giant burden had been lifted off her shoulders and she couldn't be happier.

"You're very welcome Ms. Ghanbari. I'll give you a call when I'm heading over."

Yara walked back to her apartment with an extra skip in her step. She couldn't believe this was all done so quickly. She could finally start to look at places in Chicago. She could finally shed herself of that New York feeling. She could finally start moving on.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket to call Colby. She planned to call him later that night, as she always did, but she couldn't keep the news to herself. Plus, he was one of the only people left that she could call.

"Hello hello hello," Colby answered cheerily on the other end.

"Guess what?"

"What? You sound very happy right now."

"My apartment is sold."

"What?! Already?"

"Yup, Matthias called about half an hour ago."

"How much?"

"Two million."

"Two?! Matthias said you wouldn't get more than 1.8!"

"I know, but who knows! Maybe the person is desperate to find a place and move in. Maybe it's a foreign buyer."

"Are you happy?"

" _So_ happy."

"I can tell," Yara could feel Colby smiling on the other end. "A giant weight has been lifted off your shoulders."

"I know. It feels amazing. Now I can start looking at places in Chicago," Yara mused. "I was looking at Wicker Park or Lincoln Park."

"You should call Danielle, ask her to put you in touch with that guy she used," Colby said.

"I think I will…" Yara said, slightly distracted as she looked both ways before crossing the street. "You think that's a good idea?"

"If it's what you want to do, it's a good idea."

"I mean, I still want to keep my options open."

"Then keep your options open."

"We're still going to Davenport for Thanksgiving right? I mean…I'm still invited or whatever?"

"Of course you are," Colby said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Everyone is really excited to meet you."

"I'm excited, but nervous," Yara admitted. She looked at her watch, and noticed the time was around 3:30. Knowing Colby's schedule, it hit her that he was probably working out, which meant she was interrupting him. "Oh my God Colby, am I interrupting your CrossFit?"

"It's alright, Yara."

"Shit! I'm so sorry! You could have told me, CrossFit Jesus."

Colby chuckled at the use of her nickname. "Don't worry about it. This is happy news, anyway."

"Okay, well…I'll let you go. I don't want anyone getting mad at you. Call me tonight when you get to the hotel."

"I will. Enjoy the last bit of time you have there."

When Yara arrived back at her apartment, sticking her key in the lock, she wondered whether or not she should be counting down the days. She knew she probably shouldn't be so happy – that this entire situation was happening because her fiancé cheated on her with her best friend – but she couldn't shake the happy feeling. She was purging, after all, and it felt good.

When she stepped into her apartment and began to take off her shoes, she noticed a suspicious white, regular sized envelope on her hardwood floor. She bent down to investigate, picking it up delicately. It felt full of paper. There was no way this could have been from the mailman, since her mailbox was on the ground floor. She flipped the envelope to see if it was even addressed to her.

That was when she noticed the all-too-familiar handwriting. Her full name, Yara Ghanbari, written in Laura's recognizable handwriting.

It only took a couple of seconds for Yara to feel sick to her stomach. She knew what this was: it was a letter explaining the situation from Laura's point of view. A letter detailing the affair. A letter trying to offer an explanation.

She wanted to set it on fire. There was nothing written in the letter that could make any amends, or make the situation better. It should go up in flames, just like their friendship.

Except Yara couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't go into her cupboard, get her matches, and light the thing on fire. Instead, she found herself taking a picture of the envelope and sending it to Colby. She left it on her counter top, grabbing a bottle of white wine from her fridge and cracking it open.

Her phone buzzed as a text came through from Colby. _What's that?_

A letter from Laura.

 _Are you serious?_

I want to burn it

But I don't

But I do

 _Don't burn it_

No?

 _Keep it. You might want to read the contents one day._

You really think so?

 _You never know. Give it to me._

Seriously? You'd keep it?

 _You neeeeeevvveeerrrr knowwwww…_

Ok fine. This thing is like a Horcrux though

 _CrossFit Jesus a Horcrux_

She couldn't be more thankful for him. She really couldn't.


	17. Fully Completely

Yara had never been to Iowa before. She had never even thought about stepping foot in Iowa until she met Colby and things became serious. The first thing she thought of when she heard 'Iowa' was cornfields. And judging by what she currently saw out the car window, she wasn't wrong.

The only flight she could get out of New York was to Des Moines, which was about two and a half hours away from Davenport. Colby had driven from Minneapolis, where Raw had been on Monday, to Des Moines to pick her up on Tuesday. After staying the night in Des Moines on Tuesday, they were finally on the road to Davenport together. Colby had Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off before having to go back on the road again on Saturday. She knew these three days would be his solace; being home with her, and his family, was all he had been looking forward to.

Colby had told her about his family before; about his mom, Holly, who had worked as a nurse until a year and a half ago, when Colby was able to retire her due to his success (the proudest moment of his life, according to him); about his step-dad, Bob, who had raised him since birth and was his life-long hero; about his brother Brandon and how they would wrestle together. He even lived beside his grandparents growing up. It was all so endearing for Yara to hear, since she didn't have the same type of idyllic childhood that he did; whenever he spoke about it, she could only wish her childhood was as happy and joyful as his.

Only about an hour away from Buffalo now, Yara didn't think she'd ever seen so much open field in her life. When she was growing up in Vancouver she lived in the city, and, of course, New York was New York. Her family never took any vacations out into the country. She felt like when she looked out the window, she could see for miles. The closer they got to Buffalo, the more nervous she became.

"Your parents know, don't they?" Yara asked suddenly, looking over to Colby who was concentrating on the road. His window was cracked open and the small amount of wind making its way into the car made wisps of his hair fly in different directions.

"Hmm?"

"Your parents. They know about me…about how my fiancé cheated on me…how I don't speak to my family."

"No."

"No?"

"No. I never told them. It wasn't my place to tell."

That made Yara even more nervous. "So now I have to tell them."

"Not necessarily," he said. "You don't have to tell them if you're uncomfortable. This is only the first time meeting them, anyway."

"I'm not going to _lie_ to your parents Colby."

"You're not going to be lying! You're just…not telling them, _yet_ ," he emphasized.

"But you know they're gonna ask. They're gonna ask about my mom and dad, and what they do for a living, and if I have any siblings…just like you did."

"So you can tell them, just don't tell them the whole story."

"I don't want them to pity me," Yara confessed.

"They're not going to pity you, Yara. They're not like that. They aren't that type of people."

Yara sighed heavily, painfully aware that he was right and she was just being neurotic. She had a lot going on in the last few weeks, with the sale of her apartment and her upcoming apartment search in Chicago – now she was meeting the family, a giant step in any relationship.

"You know, on Friday I'm going to Black and Brave," Colby mentioned. "You should come with me. You'll get to see what we do. Plus you'll get to meet Nick."

"Marek Brave, I'm guessing?"

"Of course. Marek Brave is his wrestling name."

"You know, you guys make it super awkward by naming yourselves everyday names like Marek Brave and Seth Rollins. Like they could be real people. Why didn't you choose something like…The Abominable Iowan or something?"

Colby's face scrunched in disgust. "That sounds awful."

"You know what I mean!" Yara giggled, slapping his playfully on the arm. "Why not Hulk Hogan? No baby has the name Hulk Hogan."

"I don't know," Colby shrugged his shoulders. "Wrestling isn't like that anymore. I mean, yeah, a lot of us are these larger than life characters, especially to little kids, but the business a lot more…transparent now, I guess? If that's the right word. I guess it makes our characters a bit more personal, especially to the fans. I loved Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior growing up, but I could never relate to them. Fans these days can relate to Seth Rollins."

Yara loved listening to Colby talk wrestling. To say he was passionate about it was an understatement – it was his entire life. She didn't even want to begin to imagine the torture he went through when he injured his knee.

"Do you think it'll be awkward? Me at the wrestling school?" Yara asked.

"Of course not," Colby dismissed the idea entirely. "Nick would love to meet you, since I can't seem to shut up about you," he smiled. "The kids aren't really going to care, but I want you to be there regardless. You can see what we get up to."

"The kids?" Yara smiled. "You call them your kids?"

"Well, yeah. Until I have kids of my own they're gonna be my kids."

Yara blushed. She thought that was the cutest thing. Although he didn't like to show it, Colby had a very strong sentimental side, and Yara could do nothing besides gobble it up completely.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Should we knock?"

"I'm not going to knock on the door of the house I grew up in," Colby commented, pushing the front door of his house open. He walked in without any qualms, of course; Yara stood in the doorframe cautiously. "Mom? Dad?" he yelled out.

"Colby? Is that you?" a woman's voice called from deep inside the house.

"I'm hooooome," Colby boomed, setting his bag down.

Yara heard footsteps approaching, and soon enough, a woman made her way around a corner, practically running towards them. "Colby!" she shrieked, throwing her arms around her son in a giant bear hug, rocking him back and forth.

"Hi mom," he hugged her back.

"I've missed you so much! It's been almost a month!"

"I know."

"I get you for three days!"

"You'll get sick of me by day three."

"No I won't!" she pulled away. She immediately turned her head to look at Yara, standing awkwardly, watching the scene between mother and son unfold. Holly had a warm smile on her face. "You must be Yara."

"That's me."

"It's so nice to meet the woman who's keeping Colby so happy," she said. "Come here, sweetie," she extended her arms, enveloping Yara in a warm hug. "I'm Holly. Welcome to Iowa! Colby tells me you've never been here before."

"Nope. Never."

"Well you're in for a treat," she said, her Mid-western accent becoming more and more apparent with every word she said. "I think you'll love Iowa. It's a beautiful place."

"Mom."

"What! It is!"

"I'm sure I will love it, Mrs. Lopez," Yara smiled.

"You must be Yara!" a male voice said from the same corner Holly had come through. Bob, Colby's step-dad, approached the pair. "I'm Bob, it's nice to meet you!" he hugged her.

"It's nice to meet you too," she said. "You have a lovely home, Mr. and Mrs. Lopez."

"Oh, thank you dear!" Holly smiled, her hand over her heart. "We definitely try, that's for sure."

"Mom, where should we put our stuff?" Colby asked.

"Oh! You two are sleeping in your old room," Holly answered. She looked at Yara. "Is that okay?"

"That's great with me. I mean, you can stick me in the basement if you really wanted to," Yara joked.

"I would never! It's so cold down in that basement. Plus not for anything but my son is thirty years old – you two aren't teenagers who I need to keep separated -"

"Mom, please stop," Colby deadpanned.

"Okay. Well, come in guys! Come in! Go put your bags away and join us in the family room. Colby, your brother is going to be here in about half an hour. You guys want some tea? Some coffee? Maybe a hot chocolate?" Holly began to ramble.

"It's okay, mom. Go relax. We'll settle in and make some for everyone later," Colby said, grabbing his and Yara's bag and walked through his house.

Before Yara could begin to follow him, Bob put a hand on her shoulder. "You make yourself feel right at home, okay? Anything you want, anything you need – don't be afraid to ask, or just go get it in the kitchen."

"Thanks Mr. Lopez," Yara smiled.

Colby's childhood room was exactly as Yara imagined it would be – blue walls littered with band posters, wrestling figurines, and signed 8x10s. He had an old wood dresser against one wall, a door to a closet on the other, his old double bed adorned with a plush plaid comforter. His window looked out to a tree in their backyard.

Yara couldn't help but smile as she took everything in, Colby immediately walking to his bed, plopping her suitcase on the bed. When he noticed she wasn't beside him, he looked back at her. "What do you think?"

"I love it," she said, walking to him. "It's so…warm. It feels so much like a true home, you know?"

He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her towards him. He kissed the tip of her nose quickly. "What was your room like?" he asked.

"I shared a room with Naveed. It was small but we made do."

"Did you have any posters up?"

"No. My parents never allowed me to put up posters."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. They didn't allow me to do very much. I had a few books though."

"Well, don't be shy around the house. Go for whatever you want," Colby assured her.

"Your dad just said the same thing to me," she smiled.

"I learned from the best."

Yara and Colby unpacked, Yara hanging her Thanksgiving outfit in his small closet and putting her makeup and skincare bags on top of his dresser. When they were finished, they joined Colby's parents in the family room, making small talk and talking about their travels to get to Davenport. Colby seemed totally relaxed, lying back on the sofa, whereas Yara was a bit stiffer, feet firmly on the floor, hands in her lap – if only because she was indulging in the feeling of being around Colby's family. She gave Colby and his parents a lot of opportunity to catch up, not interrupting at any point in their conversation unless she was asked a specific question.

When Colby's brother Brandon arrived, things picked up a little bit more. He brought his girlfriend, Ashley, who had clearly already been acquainted with the Lopez family. Things became livelier, much more conversation was flowing naturally between the family members. Yara tried to tune in to the multiple conversations that were happening: Ashley telling Holly about her new promotion at work; Brandon telling his dad about how he helped Ashley make the dessert for tomorrow's Thanksgiving feast.

Despite her nervousness and stiffness, Yara was soaking everything in. It had been many years since she was in such an environment, a _family_ environment, with so much love between the people in the room. Nobody was yelling at her, or pretending she didn't exist, or anything that her parents or sister used to do to her. She was slowly but surely feeling more at peace, more at ease, more at home.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I should have brought my stretchy pants," Yara breathed out, looking over at Colby beside her.

Colby shook his head slowly. "I think I might have a food baby. A ten pound food baby."

"You're gonna get your ass beat as Crossfit tomorrow," Brandon commented, patting his own stomach.

"Don't remind me."

"Lucky for me I don't have to keep up a flawless physique."

"Seriously, shut up."

"Colby, don't use that language at the table!" Holly chastised her son.

"But mooooommmm -"

"Don't 'but mom' me, mister."

"But mom I'm thirty years old!"

"Who paid the mortgage on this house? Hmm?" she asked rhetorically. Colby stayed silent. "That's what I thought."

Yara looked over to Brandon, who had a shit-eating grin on his face, snickering at Colby when Holly turned around to bring the plates to the kitchen. Despite the feeling of all the food she ate straining her stomach, threatening to send the button on her pants shooting across the room, Yara stood up as well, collecting some plates to help Holly.

"Yara, it's okay," Colby said.

"No no, it's fine," Yara said, stacking the remaining plates on top of each other.

"Yara!" Holly called from the kitchen. "You better not be cleaning up!"

"It's not a big deal Mrs. Lopez!"

"Yara, no!"

"It's nothing, Mrs. Lopez!" Yara carried the plates into the kitchen, placing them in the sink. "Do you need any other help Mrs. Lopez? Want me to help you prepare the desserts?"

"Yara, please, you're the sweetest but you're our guest. Go sit," Holly put her hands on Yara's shoulders. "And please stop calling me Mrs. Lopez. Every time you do I look around trying to find my dead mother-in-law. Call me Holly or call me mom."

Yara stiffened. "Mom?"

"You're going to be sticking around for a long time, sweetie. May as well start early, you know?" Holly winked.

Yara smiled, biting her lip to keep herself from getting too emotional. She knew it would probably freak out Holly. She left the kitchen, walking back to the dining room, taking her seat beside Colby. By that time, Bob, Brandon, and Ashley were engrossed in another conversation.

Colby looked over at her, his arm resting along the top of her chair. "Mom kick you out of the kitchen?" he asked.

"Mhm," Yara nodded her head, not saying anything for fear of her voice cracking.

He noticed how she was looking down, not focusing on anything in particular. "Everything okay?" he whispered.

She put her hand on his thigh, squeezing it gently. "Everything's great," she said, actually meaning it.

When Colby and Yara retreated back to his bedroom later that night, after dessert and board games and some delicious homemade hot chocolate, Yara lay on the bed, going over what Holly had said to her in the kitchen. _'Call me mom'. 'You're going to be sticking around for a long time.'_ She trusted Colby when he said he didn't tell his parents, so was this just Holly being nice, or was it something more? Was it a mother's intuition? Yara couldn't figure it out. All she knew was that she was grateful.

Yara had already changed into her pajamas as Colby stripped in the corner of the room, stepping into his plaid pajama pants and old t-shirt. As he turned to look at Yara in bed, he saw Yara lying down, her arm across her forehead. Her cheeks were red and glistening with tears.

"Hey," Colby said quietly, walking over and climbing onto the bed, getting close to her. "What's wrong, baby? Tell me what's wrong."

Yara wiped her cheeks, sniffling a few times before she turned to Colby. "When I brought the plates into the kitchen, your mom told me I could call her 'mom'. That's…that's the first time in like, eleven years I've been able to call someone _mom_ ," she revealed. "Do you know how…how amazing that feels? How good it feels just to say that?"

Colby's heart broke into a million pieces. He never considered how much this trip would mean to Yara – how something so simple could mean so much to her. "Come on, it's alright," he cooed as he moved to hold her in his arms. Yara eventually sat in his lap, her head against his chest as he held her close and ran his fingers through his hair. She could feel his heartbeat against her ear as she relaxed into him.

After a long bout of silence, Colby knew he couldn't hold it in any longer. "Yara?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

A shiver ran up Yara's spine. She bit her lip, trying to conceal her smile, before looking up at Colby, who was already looking down at her. "I love you too."

Colby kissed her, passionate and hungry. He had wanted to say that for a while, despite their short time together, but something inside of him knew. He knew this was different than any other relationship he'd been in. It was a relief to know Yara felt the same way, and was willing to say it.

Colby flipped Yara over so she was pinned beneath him, and he began to kiss a trail from her ear, down her neck and along her collarbone. He pushed up her shirt forcefully, dragging his tongue along her stomach, before hooking his fingers into the hem of her pajama pants.

"Colby, what are you doing?" she breathed out.

"What's it look like."

" _Colby_. We can't do that _here_."

"Why not?"

"Colby your entire _family_ is in this _house_!"

"So?"

"So?!"

"You're gonna have to be quiet," he whispered quickly, throwing her pants to the edge of the bed. For someone who was putting up such a fight verbally, she had shimmied out of her pants pretty damn easily.

"I don't know if I'm gonna be able to do that," she admitted. "This might end badly."

"No it won't," Colby said, taking off her underwear and kissing below her belly button. "If you can do it I'll reward you with something even better."

"What's better than you - oh my _God_ ," Yara sighed, immediately suppressing a moan by biting down on her hand. Colby had gone right for it, without warning, making her squirm in the bed. Even though his parents were thirty feet away in their room, and Brandon and Ashley just across the hall in their room, her worries soon escaped her. Yara had to admit, he was a master with his tongue – there was no way she would have been able to deny him any further. How could she when he made her feel so good?

Keeping quiet was proving harder than Yara thought. She was able to stifle some of her moans with the help of a pillow and near-continuous biting of her lip, but it was starting to be too much. As if Colby knew she would explode any second, his lips left her mound and went right back to hers, kissing her fervently.

"I love you," he moaned into her mouth.

"I love you too."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"I love you."

Yara couldn't help but giggle as he moved to lay down beside her instead of staying on top of her, hooking her leg over his. She could feel his hardness through his bottoms, and in less time than she could say _'I need you_ ,' Colby had pulled his pants down, guiding himself into her and filling her completely. He stifled her moan with a passionate kiss before she pulled away, whispering again against his lips, "I love you too, Colby Lopez."


	18. Hot Mic

"Fuck Ikea."

"Seriously, _fuck_ Ikea."

"I'm gonna need a drink after this."

"I don't even _drink_ and I'm gonna need a drink after this."

Yara couldn't help but laugh as Colby and Rami assembled a bookshelf for her on the floor of her brand new living room in her new apartment in Lincoln Park, Chicago. True to her word, Danielle had put Yara in touch with the real estate agent who had helped her find her apartment. It wasn't long before Mitch O'Reilly found Yara a perfect place for a perfect price – a two bedroom condo in a new building designed in the style of the old townhouses surrounding it, much like her old apartment in New York. For only $860,000, it was a complete steal. After waiting the closing time, during which she bounced from an AirBnb rental, to traveling with Colby, to other AirBnB rental, she was finally settling in. Her furniture from her apartment in New York had arrived last week, but since this condo was considerably larger, she needed more furniture.

That's where Rami and Colby came in.

Colby had promised her he'd help her move in – that was no question. In a way, the condo was going to be like his second home, especially if he visited as often as he wanted to. But to Yara's surprise, when Rami heard she was moving in, he volunteered his services as well. They made a day out of it – Yara promised she'd take or buy them (more so Rami) dinner as a thank you.

"I looooooove you guys," Yara giggled, smiling as Rami looked up at her from his position on the floor.

"Listen, I better be getting some bomb fucking sushi after this," Rami said.

Yara shrugged her shoulders. "I was just gonna feed you some scraps, but if you _must_ have sushi I guess we can order in."

Colby was all too happy to see Yara returning to her witty, former self. He had seen her becoming more comfortable with her new set of circumstances. While she didn't have a new full-time job yet, she was still able to support herself thanks to the healthy sale price of her New York apartment and the savings she had. Plus, she did the odd freelance work, contributing a few articles to some online news and lifestyle websites. Now that she was settled in Chicago, Colby was sure she'd be applying for jobs with every newspaper and publication she could find.

Rami looked over at Colby. "You gonna let her talk to me like that?"

"Don't look at me. I can't control her. If I did we wouldn't be putting together an Ikea bookcase right now."

"May I remind you two that you _volunteered_ to do this," Yara piped in.

"Remind me to never volunteer for something again," Rami mused, picking up the instructions. "We need to finish this within the next half an hour. I'm starving."

"I don't know why you think it's over with just the bookcase," Yara smirked. "You still have the TV stand to do."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

Rami shot Colby a look. "Mother. Fucker."

"We have two days. We'll do that tomorrow."

"We've already put together a dresser! Why didn't you just call some handyman to do it?"

"You _are_ my handyman! Well, men," Yara smiled.

Rami sighed. "I'm doing this because you're Canadian. You know that, right?"

"I figured as much."

XXXXXXXXXX

With Colby back on the road, Yara spent a lazy Tuesday alone in her apartment, mulling over job applications to Chicago's major publications and newspapers. With her repertoire of work she aimed high, dreaming about a job at any of the major Chicago newspapers. She had already sent in her applications the same week she moved in to her new place, but had heard nothing back. It had only been about two weeks, but she couldn't help but feel antsy. She couldn't live off of the sale of her New York apartment forever, and her savings were just that – _savings_. It wasn't meant to be spent.

After finishing washing the dishes from lunch, Yara opened her computer again to continue her job hunt. Just as she thought about texting Colby to ask how his day was going, her phone began to ring. She looked and saw an unknown number, and one without the Chicago area code. Confused, she answered anyway.

"Hello?"

"Hi, may I please speak to Ms. Yara Ghanbari?"

"Speaking."

"Hi Ms. Ghanbari, my name is Mark Timmins, and I'm the senior editor of the US and World Politics section of the Political Observer," Mark introduced himself. "I have your name and contact information here, provided to me by your editor James Hutchison at the New York Social."

Yara remembered James mentioning how he had put her name in this "pool of writers" the day she quit her job. She had been thankful, but assumed nothing had come of it since it had been such a long time and there was no word on anything. "Hi Mark, it's a pleasure to speak with you."

"Likewise Ms. Ghanbari. When the Political Observer sent out word to major editors for writers, I knew I could trust any names James gave me for recruiting new columnists. He and I went to NYU together. It's my understanding you studied international relations."

"I did."

"Did you receive a degree?"

Yara knew he was looking at her resume as he spoke (probably provided by James), but wanted to hear the words coming out of her mouth. "Yes, I graduated from the University of British Columbia, summa cum laude," she said. "While there, I studied and performed research under Dr. John Patterson -"

"Yes, I can see here," Mark interrupted. "Are you aware that Dr. John Patterson is a regular contributing writer here? When word got around that your name was on the list of columnist candidates, he remembered you."

"He did?" Yara was shocked to hear. It had been ten years since she graduated. God knows how many students he had taught since then – for him to remember her was special. "I'm so flattered that he remembered after all these years."

"Yes, well, his recommendation only proved that you should be first on our list to call," Mark said. "Dr. Patterson tells me you were one of his brightest students, and that you wrote mostly on Canadian politics but had deep interests in American and…Iranian politics, due to your background."

"Yes sir."

"And that you graduated in three years – summa cum laude – instead of four."

"Yes sir."

"Are you still based in New York?"

Yara cringed. "No sir. I'm not based in New York, nor writing for the New York Social."

"You're not writing for the New York Social?" Mark's voice perked up.

"No."

"Where are you based right now?"

"Chicago."

"Oh! You had me worried for a second. I thought you might have gone back to Canada or somewhere else. Chicago is fine. Canada would have been fine too to be completely honest. Our main office is in New York City but we have secondary offices in Chicago and Washington."

"That's good to hear."

"I'm going to be in Chicago next week – would you be willing to come in for an interview on Monday?"

"Oh, absolutely!" Yara tried to remain calm.

"Let's say for 9 a.m. Breakfast will be provided for you at the office. No reason to email references since I know James, and Dr. Patterson has already said glowing things about you," Mark explained. "Bring a portfolio of your work and we'll go from there,"

"Thank you so much Mr. Timmins."

"It's my pleasure, Ms. Ghanbari. I look forward to meeting you on Monday."

"Likewise!"

"Take care now."

The second Yara hung up the phone, she jumped a few times, fist-pumping into the air. In many ways, a position at the Political Observer was a dream job, and the fact that she got an interview was the best news she got in a long, long time. She would have to send James an email thanking him for putting her in the running. It still stunned her that Dr. John Patterson even remembered her. It was all too surreal.

When she finished jumping and yelping _'Yes!'_ over and over again, she found Colby's number an called him, pacing around her room. She was too excited to sit.

"Hey baby," Colby answered on the fourth ring.

"You'll never believe who just called me."

"Who?"

"Mark Timmins, the senior political editor of the Political Observer."

"Seriously?"

"I'm going in for an interview on Monday."

"What!" Colby shrieked into the phone. "Atta girl, Yara!"

"I can't believe it. James let him know about me, and then it turns out that one of my old professors, who I did research with, is a contributor there and recognized my name, even after all these years."

"Wow!"

"It's all so crazy, Colby."

"I'm so proud of you, Yara. You're finally going to be writing about the things you love and studied."

"I mean, nothing is set in stone -"

"Pfft, you got the job, Yara. The interviews are a formality. Guaranteed on the Monday they're going to show you around the office and give you a desk."

Yara blushed at Colby's confidence in her. "Colby, stop," she said unconvincingly.

"If they don't hire you it'll be the biggest mistake they ever make," he continued. "When I see you tomorrow we're going to celebrate big time, alright?"

"Cooooolby."

"Don't 'Colby' me. You deserve to celebrate."

"Okay, fine," Yara digressed. "Are you having a good day?"

"Better now that I've heard this news," she could feel him smiling on the other end. "I'm just out to lunch with Rami and Claudio. We have a show tonight and then I'm gonna be all yours tomorrow. No Rami building our furniture. Just us."

"That sounds amazing. I'm just…Colby, I'm just so excited. I'm gonna be crossing my fingers from now until Monday."

"I'll be crossing my fingers for you too, but you won't need it. You deserve the world Yara. I'm just happy these people at the Political Observer are seeing what I see."

Yara blushed. "I love you, Colby."

"I love you too."

"I'll let you get back to lunch. I have to start making my portfolio for him to see."

"Alright baby. I'll call you tonight."

XXXXXXXXXX

Mark Timmins was unreasonably tall. If Yara hadn't been surrounded by giant wrestlers for the past couple of months when traveling with Colby, she would have been intimidated. She managed to keep her cool as he guided her around the office building, showing her the sleek offices and desks of current writers, all equipped with Mac desktops. There were TVs perched on the walls showing major network news coverage, and even an area where cameras and a backdrop were set, hooked up to feed live to news stations if any one of their writers were called to be commentators on short notice. Yara was basking in the glow of it all.

After the tour, Mark and Yara retreated back to an office, where Yara sat across from him at a desk. She had been clutching her portfolio the entire time she was there, and he finally asked for it.

As Mark flipped through it, he had a poker face on. He looked up at her at one point. "So do you mind me asking you why you quit the New York Social?"

A nervous feeling began bubbling in the pit of Yara's stomach. She wasn't going to tell him the real reason why. She knew she had to lie. "You can only report on society parties for so long before it becomes monotonous. At the beginning it's fun, and it's great, but it becomes unfulfilling."

Mark nodded his head in understanding. "I can see that. Plus I assume you'd rather be doing something you have interests and an education in."

"Exactly."

"But instead of staying in New York, you moved to Chicago."

"My boyfriend's family is from Iowa, and he owns a business there. I thought I should be closer to them."

"Whereabouts?"

"Davenport."

"What's his business?"

"Uh, he owns his own wrestling school."

"Will you be traveling to Iowa a lot? I mean to visit him or support the business?"

"I'm not quite sure yet. He travels all over the States, and the world really, for his job. Regardless, Davenport is only what, four hours away? It's not a big deal."

"I'm not trying to pry, Ms. Ghanbari. The reason I ask is because the position we'll be offering to you is online-based, as you know, which means you can completely work from home if you so please. As long as you have access to major national news networks, you'll be able to do your job," Mark explained.

"That will be no problem. I'm connected at all times, regardless of where I am."

Mark closed her portfolio, a small smile on his face. "Well then, I'll cut to the chase. We're inviting you to our team as a columnist. Two articles a week, unless something major happens. You're allowed to work on and produce other freelance work so long as it does not interfere with your primary duties with the Political Observer. This will all be outlined in the contract we'll write up for you," Mark explained.

Yara wanted to jump up from her seat and lunge across the desk to give Mark a hug. Instead, she settled for a polite "Thank you Mr. Timmins."

"We'd like for your contract to start in the New Year, since we only have a few weeks left until the holidays. I'll be the person you report to, as your editor, and you'll have other tasks as assigned, but you'll mostly be focusing on your twice-weekly articles."

Yara nodded her head along with everything Mark was saying. She couldn't believe this was actually happening. "Is there a particular focus you'd like me to write about?"

"Well, let's be honest with each other – it's already a shit show. Plus, there will be an inauguration in January, so there's that," Mark laughed. "Other than that, just…focus on what you know. I'm sure John Patterson will be in touch with you as well. You two can tag-team on something, I'm sure."

Yara couldn't help but smile from ear to ear. "Thank you so much for the opportunity, Mr. Timmins. I accept your job offer."

"Fantastic," Mark smiled as well, standing up to shake her hand. "I know to expect great things from you, Ms. Ghanbari."

XXXXXXXXXX

"To my girlfriend!" Colby screamed in the bar, raising his glass to the centre of the table so Danielle, Rami, Claudio, and Yara could join him. They all lifted their drinks in unison, looking towards Colby. "Or should I say, to Yara Ghanbari, the new columnist for the Political Observer."

"To Yara!" Danielle, Rami, and Claudio said together; Yara was blushing and hadn't said a word. They clinked their glasses together, hooting and hollering before taking sips from their drinks.

Yara leaned into Colby, his arm around her protectively. He had surprised her after she had flown into St. Louis to see him that weekend, since he hadn't been able to come to Chicago (or even Davenport) on his two "days off" since he had signings. He promised it would be only them, but when he opened the doors and they walked into the bar, she immediately saw Rami, Claudio, and Danielle.

"So when do you start?" Danielle asked as she set down her drink.

"I start in the New Year, most likely," Yara smiled. "Background checks have to be done and stuff, which will take a while."

"Are you going to be one of those people we see on CNN giving their expert opinion on something?" Rami asked.

"No…not yet at least. There is an area in the office hooked up to feed to the major news networks, but I'm way too green for that. Maybe in a couple of years or something. I've gotta build my repertoire first."

"That's too bad," Colby commented. "I'd like to see you fuck shit up on CNN."

"I think we all would," Claudio smiled.

"Maybe you guys can help me with my promo skills. God knows I'll need it."

Colby put his hand over his heart, and Rami visibly swooned along with him. "Did you just say promo skills?" Rami asked. "You definitely know the way to Colby's cold, dark heart don't you?"

Yara winked, nestling into Colby again as the waiter brought their food orders. As the five friends ate their meals, they spoke about upcoming storylines and travel destinations, getting excited about the possibility of another South American tour. Even after their meals were finished, they continued to order drinks and have fun, not wanting the night to end – Yara knew she definitely didn't.

At one point, Yara excused herself to go to the washroom before picking up another round of drinks for the table. As she waited at the bar, a familiar face caught her eye. It didn't take long for that familiar face to notice and recognize her too. Before she could escape, he approached her with a nervous smile on his face.

The man in question was Alexander Parker, a friend of Connor's. Despite his association with Connor, Yara had to admit he was the nicest out of Connor's friends. He had always been very polite and gracious, even offering his parents' house in the Hampton's every summer for getaways.

"Alex, hey," Yara said, smiling slightly.

"Yara, hi," he said, clearly surprised to see her. "What are you doing in St. Louis?"

"Oh…my boyfriend is in the area for the weekend, and I came out to see him."

"You quit the New York Social," he said as more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah."

"But you have a new job now?"

"Yeah, I was just hired as a contributor for the Political Observer," Yara informed him.

"Wow! Yara, that's great. Seriously. Congratulations," Alex said sincerely.

"Thanks, Alex. What brings you to St. Louis?"

"Oh…I'm here with Alan and a bunch of his friends. It's one of the guys' bachelor weekends."

Yara cringed at the mention of Alan's name. Alan Hopkins was a long-time friend of Connor's; a total bro and a member of the New York elite much like Connor's family. They had gone to prep school and university together. He was the complete antithesis of Alex, and he had always bothered Yara, but she put up with him for the sake of Connor. "That's nice," she commented.

"You can appreciate why this is a bit awkward for me, right?" Alex asked.

"Of course," Yara said. "It's awkward for me too."

"We were all – I mean we're all just about to leave. We're bar-hopping."

"It's alright, Alex."

"Sorry if I ruined your night."

"You most definitely did not ruin my night, so you don't need to apologize," Yara said. Before she could go any further, she felt fingertips on the small of her back, only to turn slightly to see Colby, a look she couldn't quite read on his face.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, everything's good. Colby, this is Alex…Alex this is my boyfriend Colby," Yara introduced them quickly. "Alex and I know each other from New York, he's just in town for a bachelor party," she explained. "Hey, Alex, if you're leaving…I mean, can you at least tell your mom I say hi? She was so kind to me that one week we were all up in the Hamptons."

"Of course I will, Yara," Alex smiled. "Take care, alright? I'll look out for your columns."

"Thanks."

"It was nice to see you, and really nice to meet you," he nodded his head at Colby before leaving them at the bar.

Colby turned to Yara. "How do you know him?"

"He was a friend of Connor's. But he's actually a great guy. One of my favourite friends Connor had. I just hope I don't run into the other guy he told me he's here with."

"And who's that?"

"His name's Al -"

"Yara?! Is that you?!" a voice boomed from behind them.

Yara cringed both internally and externally. She and Colby turned around to see none other than Alan Hopkins, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face. Colby gave him the complete up-and-down. He looked every bit like an East Coast prep-school boy, posing for the J. Crew catalogue on Mondays and sailing in Cape Cod on the weekends. To Colby, he already looked like a complete asshole.

"Hi," Yara's voice was devoid of any emotion.

"A little birdie told me you quit the New York Social and skipped town," Alan smirked. "I bet you took a pretty big pay cut. Nobody would pay a writer as much as the New York Social paid you."

Colby was rubbed the wrong way by that comment but Yara was first to respond. "I came from nothing, Alan. I can go back to nothing."

"Why'd you leave?"

"I'm sure you know. And helped."

Alan looked at Yara condescendingly. "Yara, come on. We both know that's not true."

"I'm not so sure about that."

"You make these assumptions and -"

"I don't _need_ to make assumptions," Yara interrupted him. "Connor told me. He was at least honest with me." Yara watched as the realization dawned on Alan. "How does it feel to know that your best friend ratted you out?" she asked. She wanted nothing more than to get under his skin.

"Don't play that game, Yara. You're better than that."

"I'm not so sure I am."

Alan pursed his lips, looking over at Colby, who had miraculously remained silent throughout their exchange. "This your new boyfriend?" he pointed at him.

"Don't even think about it," Yara warned.

"What?! I'm just asking," Alex smiled devilishly. "You didn't even introduce us."

"Maybe I don't want to be introduced," Colby retorted.

"You should really watch out, man. She's known to be a huge flirt."

At the moment Yara thought Colby was going to lunge forward and start a fight with Alan, he scoffed and rolled his eyes at the comment. He grabbed Yara's arm gently. "Come on Yara, let's go back to the table."

"Got nothing to say?" Alan asked.

Colby turned back to him, buffing up his chest and flexing his arm muscles, showing his true size. He barely had a couple of inches on Alan, but that didn't matter – without question Colby would be able to take him down any day of the week and twice on Sundays. Colby's following words were completely scathing. "You're not worth the spit in my mouth."

They left Alan at the bar, making their way back to Rami, Danielle, and Claudio. Yara shuffled into her seat, taking a quick sip of her drink. In a way, Yara was surprised Colby didn't punch Alan – if Yara had been alone with him, she definitely would have taken a swing – but at the same time, she knew Colby wasn't quite that type of person. Alan was an asshole but he wasn't on the same asshole level as Connor. If Connor had been there, it wouldn't have been a question.

"Who was that guy? The second one?" Danielle asked.

"Oh, just some guy from New York. A good friend of Connor's," Yara said, not really wanting to elaborate.

"Need me to go fuck him up?" Claudio asked.

"Me too. All we need are some balaclavas and we're good to go. Jut tell us when," Rami added.

Yara couldn't help but smile. "That's nice of you guys, but he's not worth it. Also – again – I'm not convinced either of you have a bad bone in your body. You guys would never beat someone up."

Rami shrugged his shoulders. "I wouldn't say that. When we care about someone, we take appropriate actions. You're like family now Yara. Get used to it."


	19. Morning Moon

_I wanted to write a quick note thanking everyone for the positive feedback! I never got a lot of comments on this story – it was more of a passion project for me, because the idea had been mulling around in my head for ages – but I still enjoyed writing it. I never planned for this to be a super-long story like my Sami Zayn one, so there is really only going to be two more chapters. Thank you all for reading and subscribing, it means the world to me!_

XXXXXXXXXX

If Yara thought Iowa had been cold during Thanksgiving long weekend, then Christmas felt like she was in the North Pole. Vancouver never got as cold as other major Canadian cities like Toronto, Montreal, or Calgary. Living in New York introduced her to the cold but she could handle it since many activities she did were indoors.

She met Colby at the airport in Davenport, where he flew in from Atlanta, and she from Chicago. After not seeing each other for almost a week, they were…reacquainted…in the car before Colby drove them to his parents' house. When Colby pulled into the driveway, Yara noticed that Holly and Bob had decorated the house in lights and some standing figurines of snowmen and Santa Claus.

Yara wasn't even in the house yet and she already didn't want to leave. She wanted to drink Holly's homemade hot chocolate for weeks on end, curl up on the sofa under one of her knitted blankets, talk with Bob about anything and everything. She felt Colby grab her hand and squeeze it gently, watching her as she eyed the house. "Everything okay?" he asked.

"Everything's great," she smiled slightly. "I'm just so glad to be here."

"Really?"

"Of course. I love this place."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah! Come on, you know I do."

"You've only ever been here once."

"I know, but it's still…I don't know. I know it's not my home but it still feels like home."

"Hey…" Colby said leaning slightly over the middle console. "If it feels like your home, then it's your home."

Yara leaned over to kiss him quickly, grateful for his words. "I love you. You know that, right?"

"I love you too."

After Colby had helped get the suitcases out of the back, they walked up the porch and through the front door. "Hellooooooooo!"

"Heeeyyyy bro!" Colby and Yara heard Brandon scream from somewhere inside the house. He came lugging through, a pair of heavy boots on his feet. "About time you got here!"

"Don't get me started," Colby shook his head, embracing his brother quickly. "Why are you in boots?"

"Cooooolllbyyyy!" everyone heard Holly's sing-song voice as she approached them with open arms, an apron already on. She approached Yara first, giving her a tight hug. "How was the flight in?"

"As enjoyable as a flight can be."

"What a big suitcase!"

"It's all sweaters and presents," Yara said. "I'm not cut out for this cold."

"Well we better get that hot chocolate going then."

"Where's dad?" Colby asked.

"He's out in the garage finding axes," Holly replied.

" _Axes_?"

"You, him, and your brother are going to go chopping down some trees for firewood. I want the fireplace on from now until the clock strikes midnight after Christmas."

Yara couldn't help but smile at Holly's authoritative tone. Yara guessed Bob and Brandon didn't exactly want to scour the woods a few kilometres away from the house, but were forced to anyway. Now that Colby was here, he'd be a huge help. "What a great idea," Yara commented. "That'll make everything so cozy and romantic."

"Not to mention warm! Maybe you won't need those sweaters after all," Holly winked. "Colby, take your suitcases into your room – I'll help Yara unpack and you can go with the boys."

"I like how I didn't even sign up for this, yet I have to do it," Colby commented.

"You're being voluntold," Yara commented.

"Don't you want your girlfriend to be warm?" Holly commented.

"Don't start with that," Colby warned playfully, hauling the suitcases through the house. "You ladies aren't going to come?"

"As much as I want to come and see my boyfriend be a hot lumberjack, I also need to help cook – did you get all the ingredients I texted you?"

"I sure did," Holly nodded.

"You guys text each other?"

"We text all the time!" Holly said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Yara, how long will your jewelled rice take?"

"Prepping about half an hour, actually cooking another hour," Yara said. "I'm making that tomorrow, though. Today I can help you with whatever you need done."

Colby was trying to keep up with everything that was happening and being said. He was going to be a lumberjack, his mom and Yara were texting each other like old girlfriends, Yara was making something for tomorrow's Christmas meal – this was all happening. It was crazy to him, but it made him feel great. "Well, alright then. You ladies sit back and be warm, let me go freeze my ass off."

As Colby and the other men disappeared, Holly and Yara unpacked her suitcase in Colby's old bedroom, where they'd be staying again. Yara made about four trips from Colby's room to the family room to lay all of the presents they brought under the Christmas tree. When she returned from the last trip, she saw Holly had already started to hang her clothes in the closet.

"You don't need to do that," Yara said, approaching her and taking the hanger out of her hands.

"It's nothing, Yara. The sooner it gets done the sooner we can gossip about my son," she winked, retrieving another sweater from Yara's suitcase. "He's been good?"

"Yup."

"To you?"

"Definitely," Yara smiled. "He's been the best."

"Good. As a mom you worry about these things, you know. Especially after the last two relationship debacles."

Yara hesitated, wondering if she should ask the question that was on her mind. Before she could weigh the pros and cons, her brain decided to speak anyway. "Did you like them? Leighla and Zahra, I mean."

Holly shrugged her shoulders. "Leighla was a sweet girl, and she was around for a very long time, so she grew on me. I think she and Colby were good together, but there was always something just…I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Deep in the back of my mind I knew they weren't true soul mates."

"And Zahra?"

"I met her once. Didn't like her." Yara couldn't help but smile at Holly's tone. "I don't know what Colby was thinking. He must have been going through some phase…I don't know. I'm glad she's gone after the headache she caused."

"I hear you," Yara said. She watched as Holly continued to retrieve pieces of her wardrobe from her suitcase and hang them in the closet. "Hey Holly…"

"Yes dear."

"Thank you for letting me join your family during Christmas. It…it means the world to me."

Holly stopped in her tracks to look at Yara. "I don't ask questions, sweetheart. When the topic of Christmas came up with Colby on the phone I knew I was setting a place for you without him having to tell me. You can tell me whenever you feel comfortable. I'm not going to force you to say anything."

"I feel like I at least owe you an explanation," Yara said. "I haven't spoken to my parents or sister in over ten years. We don't…I mean, Colby has kind of helped me come to the realization that my parents abused me, and my sister too…mostly verbally, emotionally…psychologically…"

"What age did you leave home?"

"I was twenty. It was the day after I graduated university."

"Because of the abuse."

"Yeah. It got worse after my twin brother died. I was better off at a homeless shelter in New York than in my childhood home."

Yara could tell that comment made Holly emotional – not overly so, but it really struck her. In a home where she provided so much love to her husband and sons, here was a woman confessing to being a member of a family that abused her. Holly shook her head slightly, extending her arms and grabbing Yara in a powerful hug. "I want you to know you always have a place here. There's always room for you."

"Thank you, Holly."

Holly pulled away but still kept her hands on Yara's shoulders. "There is no need to thank me. Sometimes people have to choose their family because their real family is awful – I get that. Let me be the first to say that I think you've chosen a pretty great family."

Yara couldn't help but giggle. "I think so too. You guys are amazing."

XXXXXXXXXX

Not even five minutes in the door and Colby had been banished into the woods with his step-dad and brother to cut down a few trees. He could handle the chopping – it was basically just a part of a CrossFit workout, to be honest – what he couldn't handle was the cold, even though he was pent up in his dad's truck in between his dad driving and his brother against the passenger door. When they finally arrived to the forest, Bob told Brandon to stay in the car to make sure no one saw them cutting down any trees. Bob told one of his sons to do this every time, and every time they were never caught. Colby wanted it to be him who was in the warm pick-up, but before he could complain Bob was dragging him through the forest.

"If we cut down two big ones we should be fine – in and out, so we don't freeze our assess off," Bob said as he and Colby stomped through the woods. "Like this one, right here. Start chopping, we can carry it back to Brandon together."

After the first tree was chopped, Bob and Colby had to venture a little bit deeper into the forest to find another big enough tree. Bob took the opportunity to catch up with his stepson, away from Holly, Brandon, Ashley, and Yara. "So how've you been, son? Everything good?"

"Yeah, everything's great," Colby nodded. "I'm not feeling too sore these days. Sometimes my knee acts up but it goes away quickly, so I can't complain. The doctor said that would happen."

"You know if it starts to hurt -"

"That I should contact the doctor immediately," Colby interrupted Bob, smiling. "Yes dad, I'm well aware. I'm not going to sabotage myself and my career because of my pride."

"Good. I'm just making sure. And what about Yara? How are things with her?"

"It's fantastic. Did I tell you she got a new job?"

"Did she now?"

"Yeah, she's going to be a columnist for the Political Observer."

"Oh! That online site, right?"

"Yeah, that's the one."

"I see their articles posted everywhere all the time," Bob commented.

"Well, now you're gonna start to see hers."

Bob couldn't help but smile at his stepson, giving him a few pats on the back. "She's quite the catch, Colby. You did good, son."

"Thanks. I can't quite crack the feeling that I think she's too good for me though."

"I feel the same way about your mother."

"Still?"

Bob nodded his head. "I happen to think it's one of the keys to a successful marriage. But that's just me. Why do you think she's too good for you?"

"Yara's just so smart, you know? And she's gonna be doing great things at her job – she's _already_ done great things at her previous job. I can't help but wonder if I drag her down sometimes. That's the last thing in the world I'd want to do."

"I know Colby. I get it. But trust me…Yara's the type of girl that, if she thought you were weighing her down, she would have already dropped you. She's in love with you Colby. That's all there is to it."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

XXXXXXXXXX

Yara woke up on Christmas morning her favourite way: Colby trailing kisses along her neck and shoulder. She smiled to herself, biting her lip as she shifted in bed to face him. "Morning, baby," he cooed, his voice gravelly from sleep. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Yara leaned in to kiss him again. "What a way to wake up."

"I love you," he whispered, his lips tickling her ear.

"I love you too."

He shifted positions so he was hovering over her, then pressed another kiss to her lips, passionate and tender. "Sleep well?"

"Mhm," Yara nodded. "Any sleep is a good sleep when I'm with you."

"You're so cheesy."

"Well I had to learn from _someone_ ," Yara teased. "There's this guy that sends me good night texts _all the time_. Good morning texts, even. It's almost cute."

"Almost?"

"Yeah…almost," Yara smirked. Colby huffed playfully, making a face. "Okay fine, it's cute," Yara winkled, running her fingers through his beard.

"You wanna open your present?" Colby asked, kissing her lightly on the nose.

"We should probably wait until we hear that your family are up too."

Colby smiled. "Nuh uh," he shook his head. "There's something else."

"What do you mean there's something else?" In response, Colby stretched, reaching over to his bedside table and opening a drawer, shuffling a few things around. "If it's a condom, Colby…"

"It's not a condom, you horny teenager." Finally feeling it in his hands, he took it out of the drawer and sat back on his knees as Yara looked on.

Any woman in the Western world recognized that iconic blue hue. The box was flat and square, with a white bow perfectly tied around it. "Colby…"

"Open it."

"What did you do."

"Open it!" he urged, giving it to her.

"Colby, I can't."

"Come on," he said, giving her a quick kiss. "I love you and I want to show you."

Yara couldn't resist any longer. She accepted the box, delicately unwrapping the white ribbon and setting it aside before opening the box. Inside lay the Tiffany Somerset narrow bead bracelet in shining sterling silver. " _Ooooooh, Colby_."

"Colby did good?"

"Colby did _very_ good."

"Here," he said, picking up the bracelet and undoing the clasp. Yara held out her right hand for him and he wrapped the bracelet around it, clasping it together again. She jiggled it around a little bit, making sure it wasn't too big.

She looked up at him again, smiling, then lay her head on his chest. "I love you so much," she whispered.

"I love you too," Colby said, kissing the top of her head. "Wanna go wake up my family? Get this party started?"

Yara couldn't help but giggle. "You betcha."

Christmas morning was completely idyllic for Yara, and she hoped that any bad memories she ever had of Christmas and the holidays were erased in her mind now that, just this morning, she had made so many good ones. Opening presents with Colby's family was fun and exciting; seeing the smiles on their faces, hearing them cracking jokes, made her so emotional.

Because of his newfound wealth, Colby liked to spoil his family. He had bought his parents an all-inclusive trip to a resort in Mexico, and for Brandon and Ashley, an all-inclusive trip to the Dominican Republic. Yara had gotten Holly new Christmas-themed coffee and hot chocolate mugs, and for Bob, personalized beer glasses. For Brandon and Ashley, she gifted various board games – they had weekly board game nights with their group of friends. Colby had told her they would be happy with anything, and he was right – Brandon and Ashley were especially excited about the board games, and wanted to test one out after lunch. Yara had gotten Colby new Beats by Dre headphones, which would definitely come in handy during flights and airport layovers. He had gotten her a rice cooker, which she was thrilled about. Holly didn't seem to understand why she would be thrilled and chastised her son until Yara defended the gift choice. She'd left hers behind in New York and was desperate for a new one.

After opening presents, everybody took their showers and got primped and ready. Yara, Ashley, and Holly slaved away in the kitchen; Holly worked on the roast beef, Ashley on the mashed potatoes, green beans, and carrots, and Yara on her Iranian jewelled rice. The men took the opportunity to set the table and go outside to chop up some more wood for the day, so the fire wouldn't die out.

When all was said and done, the family sat around the dining table, saying a quick grace before meals before digging in. Holly's roast beef was to die for – Yara was sure she could have eaten the whole thing if she wanted to – and Ashley's mashed potatoes were perfectly creamy. She had been holding her breath, watching as different family members tried her jewelled rice, and only released it when she saw the satisfied look on Bob's face.

"This jewelled rice is phenomenal, Yara."

"Thanks Mr. Lopez."

"Thanks _Bob_."

Yara smiled. "Thanks _Bob_ ," she repeated his name. Clearly he was done with being called Mr. Lopez, just like Holly had been during Thanksgiving.

"Did you eat this a lot growing up?"

"Iranian food, yeah. That's all my mom cooked. My siblings and I learned how to cook Canadian – or American – food from our friends."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I was 15 the first time I had an egg salad sandwich."

"What?!" Brandon blurted out.

"I know. It was like a whole new world."

"Okay, but egg salad sandwiches are the bomb dot com, how did you last 15 years of your life not having them?!" Brandon asked.

"I just didn't know any better."

"Have you been cooking Iranian food for Colby?" Holly piped in.

"A little bit," Yara smiled. "The best is when he asks for it."

Holly nodded her head. "There is nothing greater in this world than someone asking for your home cooking."

"That's why I got her a rice cooker!" Colby explained. "A lot of Iranian food has rice in it. This way she doesn't ruin her pots and pans."

"So your mom and dad were cool about you spending Christmas here?" Brandon asked, changing the subject completely. "I mean, if they celebrate Christmas."

An uncomfortable silence washed over the table. Colby was giving his brother a death stare but Brandon didn't notice at all. "Uh, I don't speak to my family Brandon. It's a long story."

"Oh… _shit_ ," Brandon said, now visibly embarrassed. "I'm sorry Yara."

"It's okay."

"Hey Brandon, why don't you tell Yara about that time you fell in cow shit," Colby offered.

Bob snorted, practically choking on his food, putting his fork back down on his plate loudly and covering his mouth with his fist. It was Brandon's turn to give Colby a death stare. He turned his attention back to Yara. "I fell in cow shit once." He turned to Colby. "Happy?"

"Tell her how."

"Colby, come on," Bob wheezed, still laughing.

"I fell into cow shit as I was running after Colby, after he gave me the worst wedgie I've ever had in my life," Brandon explained.

"I didn't give you a wedgie."

"Colby it's been like over 20 years – _you gave me a fucking wedgie_."

"I remember it differently."

Brandon rolled his eyes. "Your boyfriend has an evil streak."

"He doesn't have a bad bone in his body," Yara said sarcastically, to which Colby smiled ear to ear to mock his brother.

"No," Brandon shook his head. "He laughed at me for days about it. Called me Bran-dung for like two months. And _apparently_ still wants to bring it up as a fond memory over our family _Christmas_ meal."

"Boys, come on," Bob chastised them, still laughing. "Colby, stop embarrassing your brother."

Holly gave a sympathetic look to Yara. "You're gonna have to get used to this, Yara. They love each other to bits but they're always like this."

"I love it," Yara couldn't help but say, thinking back to her own interactions with her older sister Rana. Embarrassing a sibling at the table in good fun was one thing; belittling them, calling them a good-for-nothing because they burned a small section of meat was something completely different. "It's…refreshing."

"Refreshing?" Brandon asked.

"Considering I don't speak to my family, the sibling dynamic is something I long for," Yara shrugged her shoulders, answering Brandon's question. "I know it sounds weird but…you know. It's nice to see. Nice to experience."

Holly and Bob gave each other a look. Brandon smiled softly at her, never having considered her point of view. Some of his friends were only children, so they didn't have that sibling dynamic either, but Yara's situation was different. "Well then," he shrugged his shoulders, "you're gonna have to share your most embarrassing story, so we can make fun of you too."

And she did. She overly-dramatized the story of when she tripped and fell across the stage while accepting an award in high school, and she had the entire table in stitches. In that moment, she felt like a bonafide member of the family.


	20. A Beautiful Thing

Yara was ecstatic to be back in Vancouver. Colby had surprised her with a trip here for New Year's Eve – just them, no one else. He had rented them a one-bedroom suite at the Shangri-La Hotel and had been spoiling her for the entire day. He had room service deliver them breakfast, and they spent virtually the entire morning burning off the calories consumed from their eggs benedict. After showering together, Yara began to dry and style her hair in the master ensuite while Colby watched TV, catching up on sports news. He was taking her out somewhere – another surprise – and wouldn't tell her where. She tried to get clues from him but he wasn't budging.

In the middle of curling her hair, her phone began buzzing on the countertop. She saw Danielle's name flash across the screen as she set down her curling iron carefully over the sink. "Hey babe," Yara answered cheerfully.

"Hey you! How are you?"

"I'm good!"

"A little birdie told me you're in Vancouver."

"Your little birdie is right. Colby surprised me with a trip here for New Years."

"That's the sweetest thing," Danielle commented. "He asked me if I thought it was a good idea and I was like, uh, _duh_ Colby. As if taking her to her hometown was a bad idea."

"Men, huh?" Yara giggled.

"Seriously."

"Where are you?"

"Anthony and I are in Chicago," Danielle revealed. Her boyfriend, Anthony Ford, was from Chicago. "He's got a bunch of friends from high school and university that always throw a New Year's Eve party, so we're going to that."

"That sounds like so much fun!"

"You two are alone?"

"Yeah…kinda the way I wanted it," Yara admitted. "It's our first New Year's together, you know? So I just wanted to spend it alone."

"Nah, I completely understand. You guys deserve the time alone."

"What time does your party start?"

"At like, 7:30, I think? That's why I wanted to call now. I know phone lines are gonna be jammed tonight and we'll both probably be drunk, so I wanted to wish you Happy New Year now," Danielle said.

"Awww, Danielle!"

"I'm so glad Colby managed to find you…more selfishly, I'm so glad that I met you. You're amazing. That day we met in catering, I knew I'd be seeing a lot more of you, and I'm so glad I was right."

Yara was trying not to get too emotional. Danielle had been such an amazing friend throughout the short time they knew each other; Yara would be forever grateful that Danielle had helped her with her move to Chicago. There was no way Yara could ever repay her – Yara knew that – but she liked to think their friendship was repayment enough. "Danielle, you're going to make me cry."

"I'm being serious!" Danielle exclaimed. "I don't want to make you cry but I want you to know how lucky I am to have you as a friend."

"I think _I'm_ the lucky one," Yara admitted. "You don't know how much you've done for me in the past few months. Like, I can _never_ repay you for everything."

"Well, the feeling's mutual, darling. I'm glad we found each other."

"I'm glad we did, too."

"Screw Colby and Anthony – maybe _we_ should ride off into the sunset together."

"I'm all for that!" Yara exclaimed as they giggled together.

"I'll let you go, hun, but I'll see you sometime soon, alright?"

"Yeah, for sure. Take care. And stay safe tonight."

"You too."

When Yara finished curling her hair, she put on a casual pair of clothes and met Colby in the main area of the suite, seeing that he was still watching TV. When he saw her in the doorway he stood up from the couch. "Ready to go?"

"You haven't even told me where we're going."

"It wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you."

"Can you at least give me an idea?"

"No."

"A little one?"

"No."

"A tiny one?"

"No. Let's go. Get your shoes on."

"Are you taking me for ice cream?"

"No."

"Aaaaaaare you taking me for -"

"Come on! We're going to be late and we have an appointment! _Let's go!"_

Concierge had called a cab to take them wherever Colby needed them to go. He didn't bother to cover her eyes or shield them in any way. The drive wasn't long – only about ten minutes – before the cab pulled up to the curb and let out the couple, Colby paying and leaving a generous tip. As Yara emerged from the vehicle, she read the storefront – 'Seven Crowns Tattoo'.

Yara's eyebrows rose in surprise. "We're at a tattoo parlour?"

"Yup."

Yara shot him a look. " _Please_ do not tell me you're gonna get my name tattooed on you or something."

"I'm _not_ going to do that, Jesus…" Colby scolded the idea.

"Then why are we…" Yara began, but trailed off as she came to the realization. She looked over at Colby, who was giving her a small smile.

" _I am mine before I am anyone else's_ ," Colby repeated Yara's favourite quote, the one she told him she wanted tattooed on her in Farsi. "You want to finally get it done?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Yara stood on her tippy toes to kiss him, throwing her arms around his neck. "You're off the charts amazing. Have I ever told you that?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Yara couldn't stop staring at it – the clear bandage made it glisten a little bit, but there it was, tattooed on her forever. _I am mine before I am anyone else's_. Colby had held her hand throughout the entire ordeal, but it didn't hurt as much as she thought it would. The tattoo artist told her it would scab and itch for a few days, but she didn't care. A major thing she wanted to do was finally done, all thanks to Colby.

Back in their hotel room, Colby had asked the concierge to bring up a second bottle of Dom Perignon champagne – they already had one in their mini-fridge for midnight. Once it arrived, Colby didn't waste time in cracking it open and pouring a glass for both him and Yara. He couldn't take her eyes off her; she looked so happy, constantly staring down at her tattoo and touching the clear bandage around it. He snuck up behind her and nestled his head into the crook of her neck, bringing his arm around to give her the champagne chute.

"To getting tattoos," he whispered in her ear.

"To getting tattoos," Yara smiled, clinking their glasses together. They both took a small sip before Colby lowered his head to kiss her, pulling her body flush against his. They both staggered back until they fell back on the couch, miraculously not spilling any of their champagne. Yara moved so that she was straddling Colby's lap. Colby continued to kiss her, moving down to her neck and collarbone.

"I love you," he mumbled against her skin.

"I love you too," she said, making him look up at her before she placed a small kiss on his lips. "You don't have to do all this, you know. You don't need to spoil me."

"I _want_ to spoil you."

"I know you _want_ to, but you don't _need_ to. You being here is enough."

"I want you to be used to it. Like you used to be."

That comment rubbed Yara the wrong way. "What do you mean like I used to be?"

"Well I'm positive you got wine and dined in New York a lot…"

"Uh huh…"

"And I mean I know Connor gave you a lot – you said he came from a very well-to-do family, so I can only imagine – and I just…I don't know, I want you to -"

"Connor gave me all of that stuff and _cheated_ on me. With my _best friend_ ," Yara interrupted him. "You – you don't have to match up to him or whatever you're thinking _at all_. I would give all that up in a second."

"But I'm away so much -"

"I know what I signed up for," Yara interrupted again. "Seriously, Colby. Please stop. Please don't feel like you're not good enough for me. You're more than enough. And you spoil me in ways you don't even realize."

"How so?"

Yara took a deep breath, cupping his face in her hands. "When you're on the road, you spoil me every morning and night with your texts. You spoil me by supporting my writing, especially the Political Observer stuff. You spoil me by introducing me to your family, having me become close with them so quickly. You spoil me by giving me head and foot massages after a rough day, by not making that big of a fuss when I said I wasn't ready to move in with you in Davenport yet and helping me move in to my apartment in Chicago, by stopping at every Chipotle and Starbucks on the road when we're travelling so I can eat…" she began to run her thumbs along his lips. "You spoil me every time you kiss me, whenever you tease me, running your big hands up my thigh under the table when we're out with friends…you spoil me whenever we're in bed, and I scream your name…"

Colby gave her a hungry kiss. It was how she knew he would respond after that long speech. When she pulled away, he licked his lips. "Well that makes me feel a whole lot better," he remarked.

Yara giggled. "I would hope so. I've been rehearsing that for weeks."

Colby sneered at her. "You're cute."

"I try."

He kissed her quickly. "I'm never gonna stop thinking that you're too good for me, you know. It's just a fact of life now."

"And each time you tell me that, I'm gonna tell you to stop."

"Maybe that'll be our thing – we both keep thinking we're too good for each other and we live in perfect harmony that way," he smiled.

Yara smiled slightly, biting her lip. She placed her hand on his defined chest, grazing her nails over the fabric of his shirt. "Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything."

She took a deep breath. "Would you umm…would you like it better if maybe I worked for the WWE? Or Black and Brave?"

" _What?_ "

"Because I was thinking -"

" _No_ , I would _not_ like it better if you worked for Black and Brave or the WWE," he said sternly. "Why would you even…you're perfectly suited for the job you have."

"I know…but uh, the other night at the house show…I was just thinking about -"

"Who were you talking to?"

"Nobody!"

"Yara, _who_ were you talking to?" he demanded again. He knew she wouldn't come up with such a ludicrous idea on her own – there had to be an outside influence. "I know you were talking to somebody so the quicker you tell me the quicker we can resolve this."

Yara bit her lip. "I was talking to Saraya."

"What did she say?"

"Well, nothing really. A lot was lost on me. But she mentioned how tough it is for you guys on the road and how most of you prefer to kind of like, date from within because it's easier and more convenient, and I was just -"

"Don't listen to a word Saraya says. She doesn't know what the fuck she's talking about."

"Colby -"

"We work hard to make our relationship work, but God dam it, it _works_. I love that when I'm with you I don't have to talk wrestling, and we can just be _us_ , without all of _them_ prying into our business," he said, alluding to his fellow superstars. "My friends I don't mind. It's everyone else. Don't let her get into your head."

"She seems nice."

"She's nuts is what she is," Colby shook his head. "You do you at the Political Observer. I do me in the WWE. We're both happy that way." He looked at her. "You _are_ happy, right?"

"Colby, I'm the happiest I've ever been."

"Good," he said, kissing her, his hands caressing her thighs. "Cause you make me so God damn happy, Yara, it's unbelievable."

Yara smiled from ear to ear when she heard those words. "So are there any other issues we need to talk about? Hash out? I feel like this is sort of like the Airing of the Grievances from Seinfeld, except we're making a lot of progress in our relationship."

Colby licked his lips, and Yara could tell he was mulling over something in his mind. "I need to talk to you about one more thing."

"What about?"

"I need to go get it first," he told her. "It's…I need to tell you, and I need to show you."

"Ooookaaayyy," she said, confused, but nonetheless made her way off of Colby's lap so he could get what he needed to show her. He escaped into their bedroom and she heard him look through his suitcase. He came back, standing in the doorway; it was clear he was holding something behind his back.

"Listen…before I tell you, I want you to promise not to freak out on me, or be mad at me," Colby said.

Yara eyed him. "Okaaayyy…" she repeated.

"I want you to know that I…I just tried to do something good, okay? But I don't know if it's going to end up that way."

"Did you get caught up in El Chapo's drug cartel?"

"Yara, this is serious."

"Colby, what is it?"

He showed her the manila envelope he was hiding behind his back, the one that he had been keeping a secret for almost a week. "A couple of months ago, I hired someone to…uh…to look into your family…" he began.

"You mean like a private investigator?"

"Exactly," Colby nodded his head. "And he found some information about your family. About your parents, and Rana. And the information is in this envelope."

For the first time since the conversation began, Yara took her eyes off of Colby to stare at the envelope in his hand. He couldn't read the look on her face. "I also brought this," he said, exposing the white envelope with Yara's name written across it – the letter than Laura had written her. Yara was barely blinking. Colby gulped. "If you want to know what's in here…in both of these, we can open them right now and go through it together. If you don't want to, we can burn it right now too. It's your decision."

"Have you read what's in them?"

"No."

Yara was silent. Colby didn't know if she was going to burst out in a fit of anger and throw him out of the hotel, or if she would cry and lock herself in their room. Her emotion was indiscernible. This could end spectacularly horribly and go up in complete flames.

"If I read what's in those…" Yara finally began to speak after what felt like a lifetime of silence. "Everything is going to come back. _Everything_. And I don't want it to. I've suffered enough. Nothing that's said in either of those can fix anything that happened, or can make anything better for me _now_. Because _now_ is what matters. _Now_ , with _you_ , matters more than anything. More than what's said in there."

"So?"

Yara paused again, for what felt like another lifetime, before finally saying the words. "Burn it."

"Burn it?"

"Burn it."

Colby smiled, a sign of relief leaving him. He approached her and gave her a strong hug, picking her off the ground as he did so. When he set her back down, he looked her in the eyes. "Why don't you do the honours? Tonight, at midnight."

"You want me to do it?"

"Yeah. It's more symbolic that way. It's _you_ lighting fire to your past, not anyone else."

"That's so Shakespearean."

"To be or not to be, baby," Colby smirked before kissing her again. "Our relationship can be what _we_ want it to be. No outside interference, nothing from the past holding us back or making us second-guess ourselves. Just us."

"That sounds perfect," Yara grabbed Colby's face to kiss him. "Just me, and you, and what _we_ want."


	21. Three Pistols

_Thanks again to all who subscribed, favourited, read, left comments etc. You guys always brighten my day! Here is the last chapter, a collection of glimpses into the future. It's sickeningly sweet if I do say so myself._

 _If anyone is curious/interested, in terms of future writing, I may or may not be starting either a Finn Balor story or an Adam Cole story in the future. I still have to figure out specifics. I'm debating on doing one-shots, too. We'll see._

XXXXXXXXXX

In the end, it was what they wanted.

In the end, it took two years. Two years spent at the Lopez house for Christmas and the Shangri-La Hotel in Vancouver for New Year's. Two years spent under the leadership of Mark Timmins at the Political Observer, writing over 300 columns and making TV appearances on news networks, including a viral video of Yara laying the verbal smack down on Nigel Farage. Two years of travelling within the United States and Europe to see Colby wrestle and become champion once again. Two years of hard work, dedication, determination, bliss, fights, makeups, rental cars, flights, hotel rooms, news conferences, speaking engagements, autograph signings, before one morning, still in bed after a week of travelling together, Colby proposed to Yara with a 1.5 carat oval diamond ring, to which, after many tears and kisses, she gave him a resounding yes.

* * *

 _Colby and Yara stood beside each other, holding hands, as Mr. Bergevin, a Justice of the Peace, with his white beard and crisp cream slacks, recited the matrimonial vows for them to repeat on a sunny spring day at Vancouver City Hall. Yara_ _wore a modern high-waist white silk organza skirt and a silver bullion, pearl, and silk thread hand embroidered crop top by Ralph and Russo. Colby wore a custom-fitted single-breasted grey Burberry suit._ _Behind Colby and Yara, Rami and Danielle stood proudly as witnesses. Only 12 people were invited to the ceremony and reception, the 12 most important people in Colby and Yara's lives: Holly and Bob, Brandon and Ashley, Marek and his wife and two sons, Rami, Claudio, Danielle, and her boyfriend Anthony._

 _"Do you, Colby, take Yara to_ _be your partner for life? Do you promise to walk by her side forever, and to love, help, and encourage her in all she does? Do you promise to take time to talk with her, to listen to her, and to care for her? Will you share her laughter, and her tears, as her partner, lover, and best friend? Do you take her as your lawfully wedded wife for now and forevermore?"_

 _"I do."_

 _"And do you, Yara, take Colby to be your partner for life? Do you promise to walk by his side forever, and to love, help, and encourage him in all he does? Do you promise to take time to talk with him, to listen to him, and to care for him? Will you share his laughter, and his tears, as his partner, lover, and best friend? Do you take him as your lawfully wedded husband for now and forevermore?"_

 _"I do."_

 _"And now, please seal your promises with these rings, the symbol of your life shared together." Mr. Bergevin brought forward the rings Colby and Yara had picked out, the delicate bands shining in the light._

 _"Yara, this ring I give as a token and pledge, as a sign of my love and devotion. With this ring, I thee wed," Colby repeated after Mr. Bergevin, slipping the band onto her ring finger._

 _"Colby, this ring I give as a token and pledge, as a sign of my love and devotion. With this ring, I thee wed," Yara smiled, pushing Colby's band past his knuckles._

 _Mr. Bergevin smiled at the both of them. "Colby, Yara, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you married. You may kiss."_

* * *

In the end, it was Colby and Yara building a house in Bettendorf, just outside of Davenport, with the help of his parents. Months of designing floor plans, choosing hardwood floors, kitchen backsplashes, wainscoting patterns, countertop depths, shingles, and more before it's completion in the late fall.

In the end, after three years of trying to conceive, Yara finally became pregnant. A pregnancy that would test Yara's health so seriously was not a pregnancy Colby had thought about, but it nonetheless became a scary reality. It began with hyperemesis gravidarum, followed by the development of anemia, which led to the pregnancy being classified as high risk.

* * *

 _In the locker room, after he finished showering and changing after his main event match, Colby wasn't too surprised to see his mother's name flash across his phone screen as she called him. She liked to call him after every pay-per-view to see how he was feeling and how he thought the match went._

 _"Hey mom," he said cheerily into the phone, despite his feeling of exhaustion._

" _Colby."_

 _"How'd you like the pay-per-view?" he asked._

 _"Colby…I'm going to tell you something but I don't want you to freak out, okay?"_

 _Colby stopped any movements he was making. "What's wrong?"_

 _"Yara fainted earlier. I'm in the hospital with her right now."_

 _"WHAT?!"_

 _"She's okay, Colby. We were grocery shopping and all of the sudden she just started to feel nauseous. She hit her head on the floor pretty bad but she's okay. She -"_

 _"I'm on my way out right now."_

 _"Colby, you're in LA -"_

 _"And I'm taking the next flight out to Davenport. Can I talk to her?"_

 _"She's sleeping right now, sweetie. But it'll be a nice surprise for her when you're here."_

 _"Why didn't you call me earlier?"_

 _"Yara wouldn't let me call you. She knew you'd ditch everything – and if you didn't, that your head wouldn't be in the match properly."_

 _Colby was half-angry, half-amused. "I'll see you in a couple of hours, mom. I'm on my way. When Yara wakes up tell her I love her."_

 _The next morning, after a new round of tests had been administered, Colby ran into the hospital and had demanded to see his wife. He knew he had to remain calm for her sake, and show, at least externally, that he wasn't freaking out, but on the inside, he was totally freaking out. He had been the entire time – the taxi ride to the airport from the arena, the plane ride back home, the next taxi ride from the airport to the hospital._

 _When he finally saw her, she was hooked up the IV monitors, like he had expected. She looked wide-awake and happy to see him. He gave her a kiss before sitting on the side of the bed. The flimsy hospital gown made her virtually shapeless, but Colby could still see her four-month baby bump protruding out. He placed a protective hand over it, and she placed her hand over his.  
"They're classifying it as a risky pregnancy," she told him calmly. "As if the hyperemesis gravidarum wasn't enough, I have anemia now."_

 _"Anemia? Seriously?"_

 _Yara nodded her head. "They'll come in here and explain this all to you too. I have to take it easy apparently. Make sure I'm eating well, getting all my vitamins -"_

 _"You always do."_

 _"I know -"_

 _"So then why is this happening? Why do you keep getting sick?" his voice cracked. "Why…why…"_

 _"Hey," Yara sat up, grabbing his face and wiping the tears that began to fall. "There's nothing to be worried about, okay? This happens in a lot of pregnancies."_

 _"But why does it have to happen to you? Why does it have to happen to us?" he asked, knowing the questions were unanswerable. "I don't understand. We did everything by the book. Sure, we had trouble conceiving, but we got there. You got pregnant. And you took your pre-natal vitamins, and you've been to the doctor already more than any other pregnant woman I've ever known, and -"_

 _"Shhhhh," Yara placed a finger on Colby's lips as he rambled. She wiped a few remaining tears from his cheeks. "Are you scared?"_

 _"I'm fucking terrified, Yara."_

 _"It's all going to be okay," she assured him. "Everything is going to be okay."_

* * *

Bouts of doctor-ordered bed rest could only help so much. Holly had stepped up when Colby was unavailable due to traveling, staying at the house and keeping an eye on Yara. Those bouts of bed rest were later followed by symptoms of preeclampsia in the final weeks, leading Yara to be put in the hospital and deliver at 38 weeks.

Labour and delivery were long and painful. The option for a natural birth went flying out the window when the symptoms of preeclampsia were discovered. After the trouble, their child came into the world screaming and crying her lungs out. Madeleine Noor Lopez was born at 4:53am, weighing 7lbs, 13oz. The second she was placed in Colby's arms, he was in love.

* * *

 _Colby thought about what it would be like to hold his child for the first time. He knew it would feel overwhelming; he knew it would feel incredible. He tried to listen to people when they told him it would change his life forever. But now, in the moment, cradling Madeleine in his arms, rocking her back and forth, he was completely dumb-founded. He was in complete awe of the new life in his arms – the life_ he _helped create. He felt terrified and exhilarated all at once. After such a long time of waiting to get pregnant, and after such a difficult pregnancy, she was finally here._

 _He looked over to Yara, who was watching him as she sat recuperating in the bed. "She's perfect," he whispered. "Absolutely perfect."_

 _"I know," Yara smiled softly._

 _Colby looked at the nurse who had been watching him with a smile on her face. "How do I look?" he asked, looking for reassurance._

 _The nurse smiled at him. "Scared shitless – like a new father," she said. "Would you two like me to call in the grandparents?"_

" _Yes please. They're probably dying out there," Yara replied._

 _Holly was crying before she had even entered the room. She came in with her hands on her mouth in a prayer position, Bob's arm draped across her shoulder consolingly. When she caught eyes with her son holding his daughter – her first granddaughter – she lost it. Tears were streaming down her face and she couldn't wipe them away fast enough._

" _Oh look at her," Holly cooed as she looked at Madeleine in Colby's arms. "What a precious angel she is. Look how beautiful she is."_

 _"You wanna hold her, grandma?"_

 _Holly shook her head, a new stream of tears flowing now that Colby had referred to her as grandma. "Let me stop being a blubbering, crying mess first. Oh, just look how precious she is Bob. Look."_

 _Colby eyed his step-dad, whose eyes had suddenly glossed over in tears. "Grandpa?"_

 _Bob reached out his arms, and Colby placed Madeleine in his arms carefully, making sure her head was supported at all times. Bob began to rock her back and forth as she fussed slightly at the change of position. "Hi Madeleine," he whispered. "I'm Grandpa. Hello. Welcome to the family, sweetheart. We love you."_

 _Colby smiled, sitting back on the edge of the bed where Yara was. He grabbed her hand and held it in his tenderly. "How are you feeling?"_

 _Yara gave him a tired smile. "Like I could do this ten more times."_

 _Colby cackled loudly at Yara's comment, causing her to laugh too. His parents looked over, amused looks on their faces. "Let's get to know Madeleine first, then we'll start thinking about the other nine," Colby replied._

* * *

Yara could have had nine more but the doctor's said no to even one. It was too risky, too dangerous for Yara's health. In his selfishness Colby admitted that he didn't want to see Yara go through any more health problems, that he wouldn't be able to handle seeing her even more sick than she was during the first pregnancy; God forbid something happened to her, or their child, he would never be able to live with himself. With a heavy heart Yara came to terms that she wouldn't be able to have more children with Colby. With Madeleine, however, she grew to realize that their small family was all she ever needed.

* * *

 _Yara watched with a smile on her face as Madeleine sat in the make-up chair, getting her hair pinned back by one of the WWE's hairstylists. Danielle had taken Madeleine on an "adventure" backstage, giving Yara a break to chat and catch up with some of the Superstars. Yara happened upon them as the hairstylist was trying to brush through Madeleine's thick curls._

 _Four-year-old Madeleine had a giant smile on her face as she felt the bobby pins being placed into her hair. "Mommy, loooook!" she swung her legs excitedly, unable to stay still from excitement. "Does it look nice, mommy?"_

 _"It looks beautiful."_

 _"Can you do this in my hair for school?"_

 _"Of course I can Lennie," Yara said, using the nickname she and Colby had adopted for her._

 _Madeleine looked over to Danielle with an even wider smile. "Does it look nice, Aunt D?"_

 _"It looks perfect," Danielle smiled. "I think Daddy's gonna love it!"_

 _Madeleine looked back towards her mother. "Are we going to see Daddy before he wrestles?"_

 _"Of course we are," Yara said. "Since we have to be in the crowd soon, we better go find him."_

 _"Well you're lucky you're all done!" the hairstylist patted Madeleine's shoulder. "I hope Daddy likes you hair Madeleine! Have fun tonight!"_

 _Wandering through backstage, Yara and Madeleine found Colby talking with a script supervisor about the interview/promo he had to cut before his match that night. He didn't notice them – too engrossed in the script he was reading – so Yara encouraged Madeleine to run up to him and grab his legs to surprise him. She did just that, and Colby half turned around, knowing exactly who it was. The script supervisor laughed and finished their conversation before walking off. Colby grabbed Madeleine and picked her up, holding her in his arms._

 _"What are you up to, princess?" Colby asked._

 _"Daddy! Do you like my hair? Aunt D took me to the nice hairstylist lady and she did it for me!"_

 _"I love it," Colby smiled._

 _"Mommy said she is going to do it for me when I go back to school in September!"_

 _"Where *is* your mom, Lennie?"_

 _"She's right behind you, silly!"_

 _At that moment, Yara began to poke Colby's back. He spun around to see her, a smile on his face. "How are you doing, momma?"_

 _"Good," she smiled. "I'm all caught up with Claudio and Rami, which is nice."_

 _"Daddy," Madeleine interrupted their conversation. "Are you going to win tonight?"_

 _"Lennie, you know I can't tell you," Colby smirked._

 _"But Daaaaaddddyyyyyy!"_

 _"But Leeeennnnniiiiieeeee!"_

 _Madeleine pouted. "You know I won't tell anybody ever again. Not like last time."_

 _Colby couldn't help but giggle at what Madeleine was referencing. The reason why he didn't tell her the outcome of any of his matches anymore was because she had blurted it out once to the people she sat beside in the front row. "That's my Daddy – did you know he is going to win tonight? He told me!" It didn't get far – only about the ten people surrounding them really heard her – but that didn't stop them from starting annoying chants, which were caught on camera, and trying to get more information out of a three year old._

 _"Don't you want to be surprised?" he asked her. "If Daddy wins it will be a nice surprise."_

 _Madeleine shrugged her shoulders. "I guess so."_

 _"Are we still gonna get ice cream tomorrow?" Colby wiggled his eyebrows._

 _Madeleine's eyes lit up at the mention of ice cream. "YES!" she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. It was their tradition, after all, and they had to follow tradition._

 _"Good, cause I'm already thinking about it."_

 _"Is the ice cream gonna make you slower, though?" Madeleine asked innocently._

 _"You're starting to sound too much like Mommy," Colby smirked, looking over at Yara who was trying to supress her laugh. "Speaking of, you two better get going. I'm wrestling in fifteen minutes." He looked back at Madeleine. "Give Daddy a good luck kiss before you leave," he said, turning his cheek. Madeleine kissed his cheek, smiling and giggling when he gave her a big kiss on her cheek too. "Daddy loves you, Madeleine."_

 _"I love you too Daddy."_

* * *

In the end, Yara got her happily ever after. It almost made her sick sometimes, to sit down and think about how far her life had come since that fateful day she walked out of her parent's house and escaped to New York; how far her life had come since that night in the Brookfield Ballroom, where she met Colby Lopez and took him out for ice cream and Nino's pizza. If she had been told, at any point in her life, that she would be living in Iowa with her own family, married to a wrestler, she wouldn't have been able to stop laughing. Now, it was all she could imagine for herself; all she could ever want.

Colby, too, got his happily ever after, after all. When he sits down to think about his life, he always laughs to himself, thinking it too sickeningly sweet of an outcome – that's when shivers run up his spine, since he realizes how lucky he is. A string of failed relationships, an embarrassing nude photos scandal, all leading to the one relationship that was actually, truly worth it; one that he wanted more than any other to work. And it did – he had a successful marriage and a daughter to complete him. He couldn't ask for anything more.

* * *

 _It had been almost twenty minutes since Colby began his interview with the writer from Sports Illustrated. It being Wrestlemania weekend, Colby had a slew of interviews, but he always saved his energy for Sports Illustrated because he knew it was an international publication, which meant a lot of people would end up reading whatever the writer published. The interview was going well so far, so Colby was confident a good article would come out of this._

 _"So, Colby, can you give us your favourite memory?" the interviewer asked._

 _Colby blanked. "You mean, like, in wrestling, or in general?"_

 _"Let's go with both," the interviewer smiled._

 _Colby thought about all he had accomplished up to this point. It was hard to pinpoint one thing. "The wrestling one is hard. I'm lucky to be able to choose from so many, to be completely honest. Cashing in Money in the Bank at Wrestlemania is there, I think, just because it made history since it had never been done before."_

 _"And in general?"_

 _Colby didn't even have to think about this one. "Ah, it happened the other day actually. I had the day off and I spent the entire day with my wife and my daughter. We woke up, had a home-cooked breakfast, and had a day of fun in Chicago. At night, we went to see a performance at the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, and my daughter could not have been more excited. She *loves* the ballet – she's five, and her mind is set on being a ballerina when she grows up. After all of the excitement of the day, she ended up KO-ed in my arms. I have this amazing memory of my daughter sleeping on my chest in pink tights and a tutu and…yeah…it's…" Colby took a moment to collect himself. "If Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind ever came true, that's the one memory I hope they never wipe from my mind. It's my favourite memory of all time, even more so than cashing in, or becoming champion. That's it."_


End file.
